Shopper Dockets & Alcohol Abuse – Is There Such A Thing As Responsible Service Of Alcohol?

Recently I was shopping at Woolworths, a large chain supermarket that, alongside its major counterpart Coles, holds approximately 80% of the grocery shopping market in Australia. After settling our grocery bill and receiving our receipt, my house mate and I noticed that at the bottom of our docket that there was a promotion for discounted alcohol. My flat mate and I both stopped for a moment and thought this was quite a strange thing to promote considering that alcohol kills 15 Australians every single day (1) and is a major contributing factor to 20,000 children experiencing substantiated abuse every year (2), why would a supermarket discount and promote a substance that is a major contributing factor to these things?

According to Shop A Docket, a privately owned advertising agency, advertising on shopping receipts is one of the leading forms of marketing available to businesses in Australia with them reporting that 77% of all shoppers read the back of their dockets for discounts and 73% of them had in the weeks before their study used these dockets to purchase advertised products. That’s approximately seven million Australians every single month reading these dockets and using them to purchase a promoted product.

I did some further research into the impact alcohol has on the Australian people’s health, well-being and safety and came across the following disturbing and confronting statistics:

Every single day 430 Australians are hospitalised due to alcohol related harm(3)

In just one year there were 29,684 incidents of alcohol-related family violence in New South Wales, Victoria, Western Australia and the Northern Territory (3)

Almost half (44%) of all intimate partner homicides in Australia are alcohol-related (4)

Almost 20,000 Australian children are victims of substantiated alcohol-related child abuse (2)

Each year more than 70,000 Australians are the victims of alcohol-related assaults and, of those, 24,000 experience the assault as domestic violence (2)

In one year almost 5 million Australians aged 14 or older (26%) had been a victim of an alcohol-related abuse (5)

Within ten years there was 62 per cent increase in the rate of alcohol-related deaths and diseases in Australia (3).

Now this is only a snapshot, there are many more statistics out there highlighting the significant damage alcohol causes to our society, and this is not even beginning to look at the financial and emotional costs associated with every hospital admission, every police call out or every child protection investigation, all responding to the end result of alcohol being bought and sold in our country.

Now it would be very easy to look at these numbers and simply brush them aside, we are often bombarded with statistics and they can often become dehumanised. So let’s stop for a moment and consider these numbers in relation to real, everyday people.

Every single one of those numbers represent a person who each have family, friends, neighbours, colleagues, so on and so forth, who each have had to witness their loved one being significantly impacted by someone who uses alcohol.

So if we multiply these statistics by ten, we’d have a much more realistic picture of those who are actually affected by alcohol in this country, and when you think about it, that’s quite a lot of people.

But let’s take this a little further. Have you ever spent time playing with a child? Have you noticed how innocent, vulnerable and fragile they are? It’s almost hard to imagine anyone could ever abuse or hurt a child, but they do. Now in an average kindergarten classroom there is approximately 30 children per class, 30 very little human beings just beginning to explore and understand life.

Now imagine for a moment a proportion of them being raped, another proportion of them being physically assaulted, another intentionally burnt with a cigarette, another starved for days and left to sleep in urine soaked beds and another verbally abused and told they are worthless on a regular basis.

Then once you’ve pictured that, multiple that classroom by 666 and you might start to get a picture of what 20,000 Australian children look like.

All of their abuse linked with alcohol.

When my flat mate and I got home we decided to spread the word via Twitter, initially just to share with our friends and followers but then I thought, why not include Coles, Woolworths and IGA in the conversation, so I tagged them in. Woolworths and IGA remained silent, but Coles responded. I’ve included screenshots of our public conversation below.

There was no further correspondence from Coles after my final Tweets.

After a little investigation it turns out that in 2014 the Office of Liquor and Gaming (OLG) underwent a six month investigation (6) into supermarketers promoting alcohol on shopper dockets and came to the conclusion that promoting alcohol this way was ‘likely to encourage the misuse and abuse of liquor’ (7).

The Director General of the NSW Department of Trade and Investment at the time though decided to overrule the Agency’s recommendations on this point, continuing to allow these practices to happen in NSW.

It was later reported that internal documents showed that this decision was made after what appeared to be ‘intimidation’ tactics by Woolworths (8), including legal threats and complaints being made to ministers. Does one smell a hint of corruption? You can read more about this here.

Coles, who were nice enough to respond to my Tweets, stated that they ‘take [their] responsibilities in regard to the promotion of liquor very seriously & always encourage responsible behaviour’.

But how is it responsible to continue carrying out a practice that professionals from our very own investigatory body has researched and stated should stop due to it ‘likely to encourage the misuse and abuse of liquor’?

Further more, as I asked in my Tweets, is it responsible to discount and promote a substance that contributes to 20,000 children experiencing substantiated abuse? Is it responsible to discount and promote a substance that contributes to 29,684 people experiencing domestic violence? The list could go on.

But who else is responsible here?

It would be very easy to point the finger at the supermarketers and liquor stores, but the real answer here is that we are responsible, the entire population of Australia, for every time that we make a purchase of alcohol, be it with or without a promotional docket, we are supporting the manufacturing and distributing of a substance that endangers and harms millions of Australians.

By the very nature of us contributing our money to this product we are supporting it and saying ‘yes’ to it in full, to everything that that product brings and represents, and so, as we can see by the many harms caused by alcohol, we are saying yes to some very dark and disturbing things.

So next time you’re purchasing your alcohol, be it at a major supermarket or not, take a moment to look around and count the number of children you see, count the number of women and then imagine each and everyone of them being badly beaten and abused that evening, take a moment to imagine what they are seeing and feeling when they look into the dead and blank eyes of their intoxicated abuser or how the stench of the very drink you are buying can be smelt on their breath or sweating from the pores of their skin. Then take a look at your purchase and think for a moment, what exactly is it that I am buying into? And then later, when you’re sitting at home, enjoying your drink, take a moment to toast all the children and women who are being abused in that moment and appreciate the fact that you’ve just contributed to it, by the nature of putting your money into buying that product in the first place.

We cannot have ‘responsible service of alcohol’ until we start taking responsibility for all that actually comes with alcohol, and not many of us want to do this, we want to check out, forget about it and simply enjoy our drink. We have much to consider when it comes to understanding what true responsibility is.

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Martin Gladman is a Social Worker, Counsellor, Life Coach, Teacher, Public Speaker and Complementary Therapist based in Melbourne, Australia. Martin presents and teaches simple and practical ways of responding to life, supporting people of all ages to rebuild, reconnect and recommit to living a life that is vital, full and healthy. Martin has supported people world wide, of all ages and backgrounds, to re-engage with life, establishing real and sustainable change for the better.

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821 Comments

Suzanne Anderssen says:April 19, 2016 at 8:44 pm

The nature that people buying alcohol are supporting the damage that alcohol causes is a new outlook for society, but one I hope will be clearly understood and taken onboard. People everywhere need to know what the notion of responsibility really is.

Yes Kylie. we have so many poison labels on everyday cleaning products, yet don’t label alcohol as the poison it is.. If it were good for us we would not get hangovers and it wouldn’t influence such abhorrent behaviour. If it were good for us it would deepen our relationships at home and in our communities. I love how this blog makes us more aware of our wider responsibility for we are all members of community.

Beautifully said Abby. lmagine the labels on all alcohol bottles with pictures and descriptions of the potential harm it is about to do to the person purchasing it. Like those on cigarette packets. This would be a good start, however it feels too normal to society to even imagine allowing such a thing. That is disturbing and very exposing.

To suggest, as Martin does, that by giving energy or money to anything that damages another lends support to that very product, is worth reflecting on. The same is true of many other activities pursued to distract and numb ourselves, without really connecting to the energy behind it. Saying NO to these activities, says NO to the ill-energy, this lessens its power and allows us to reclaim ourselves.

The term ‘responsible’ drinking is often used to justify why alcohol is produced and sold in the first place. We’re now saying loud and clear that it is irresponsible to sell and promote alcohol. The lethal nature of alcohol used in excess is well documented. Fatalities caused by drunk drivers continues to rise and have a devastating impact on the lives of families affected by deaths and injuries of loved one.. Alcohol is an industry, a business, and business and profit come before people.

That’s true Kihinde James, alcohol is an industry, a business that doesn’t have to take responsibility for the damage their products cause, instead the people through our taxes have to pay and provide the band-aids for the resulting damage and as Martin has stated is into billions. This is a cycle that is escalating, it’s time we called out the perpetrators and stopped the abuse not only those that choose to drink but of the system that allows this to continue.

“Alcohol is an industry, a business, and business and profit come before people.” There couldn’t be a truer statement. If the industry had welfare of people at its heart it wouldn’t sell a drop. Clearly the profit it makes is the top priority over the health of the public.

Again, reminding us that when there is a demand for the product there will always be a source from which the availability will easily flow.

Leonne says:April 19, 2016 at 8:50 pm

Reading this blog it is very clear that there is no such thing as ‘responsible service of alcohol’ – it is entirely impossible. About 5 years ago I knew I would stop drinking alcohol but it took me a while to get there. At that time I purchased alcohol as a gift for someone else and I remember it felt absolutely awful to give something so harmful to someone else despite the fact they ‘wanted’ it. Thank you for shedding light on the true harm of alcohol Martin.

People give alcohol as gifts as an easy option, in corporate it is one of the most popular gifts I have seen. I have also noticed in nearly every public speech I have been to recently about alcohol and its harms on public health that at some point in the speech the very person talking about the harms has also joked about needed a drink after the talk. At the most recent talk I sat there with my mouth open having just heard and seen appalling statistics and graphic pictures as a result of alcohol use and abuse. I realised that we have to walk the talk and see why we are needing the alcohol then learn to deal with those insecurities or support our bodies for the exhaustion rather than manage it with a temporary upper. Only then can we inspire change for others because we understand the pressure but we show there is another way to deal with it.

Great points Lucy. Yes not always easy to really look at why we are needing alcohol, beyond the “I like my beer”…the question is….”Why do I think I like my beer”, what does it bring me or rather what does it not bring me?

And what also could be asked or even experimented with is what happens, what do I feel if I don’t have it. This is part of people getting to their very own reason and unlocking what is keeping them trapped in the behaviour and the thinking that it’s just something they like the taste of. What I always find interesting is how much people drink thinking of the liquid quantity. Before I stopped socially drinking 10 years ago and dealt with the why I could easily drink 12 beers in a night. Not only was it so harming to me on many different levels but if someone asked me to drink that much water in the same amount of time I would have thought them to be crazy.

How we bury or addiction is such a ‘ no go zone’. In the hairdresser’s yesterday a client was sharing how she had become ill and had decided to review her diet and give up alcohol…. I observed as the conversation quickly changed as that moment of truth was not wanted to be felt.

Otto Bathurst says:April 30, 2016 at 10:34 pm

So true Lucy. Alcohol is now the absolute standard corporate gift. Whenever I get given it, I always politely refuse it – to which the response, 9 times out of 10, is “give it to a friend”. Which always blows me away. If I have decided that I don’t think alcohol is good for me, why on earth would I “give it to a friend”?!!

Great points shared Lucy Dahill. This is no different to how we are with our families and children. I often hear parents telling their teenage children not to drink yet model this behaviour regularly at work or on a weekend around their friends and in social groups..

I have been in the situation where it was part of my job to buy gifts for everyone at work and all of them wanted alcohol and it was expected that they got a bottle so that they could all have a drink together say on a birthday or a leaving party, and like you have said Leonne it feels awful knowing the harm it can cause.

Talk about being in a situation of should I or shouldn’t I Julie. I made the choice once to not donate money to my boss’s birthday present because it was decided to buy a bottle of whatever and I shared that it didn’t feel right for me to contribute to that. It was totally accepted and I bought him a grand bouquet of flowers instead.

I can’t bring myself to contribute to gifts for people that are alcoholic either. I had a client who I used to buy a bottle of alcohol for every year at Christmas. One year it just felt totally wrong to do so, so I bought him aftershave instead. He was a bit confused and I could tell he was missing his usual present, but there was no way I could do it. l know how harmful alcohol is so now it is impossible to spend money on it. I will not contribute to someone’s ill health.

I absolutely agree Rebecca. There is no way you would see me contribute to anybody’s consumption of alcohol. I have seen the devastation its effects have. I have known several people who have died because of the damage they have caused themselves due to alcohol. It is naturally found in fermenting and rotting fruit and we have cultivated a whole culture around it much to our detriment.

Johanna08.smith says:April 25, 2016 at 5:01 pm

This is so common. When we gather to buy a present for people it is usually alcohol. The last school I worked at gave me wine glasses as a present even though everyone knew I didn’t drink at all. Another crazy thing is in the staff fridges in the majority of schools have alcohol, chocolates and soft drinks in them for after hours. I find this so odd in a place that is about education of children. Do we want them to grow up needing all these things too? Are we not there to reflect something truer?

Yes Johanna the gift of alcohol or chocolate seem to be the easy answer to every occasion worth celebrating. How much more thoughtful and caring would it be to consider the person for whom we are purchasing the gift. It is just another way of checking out, to go with the motion, thoughtlessly harming this person with our ‘gift’.

This was the same process for me Leonne – first I gave up alcohol myself but then realised I couldn’t purchase this for others. It goes to show that responsibility for our purchases extends far beyond the actual item bought.

I found it very easy to stop drinking alcohol but didn’t find it so easy to deal with the ‘she’s a bit of a party pooper’ response from other people. However, it does not bother me now. The interesting thing that keeps coming up for me is every year at Xmas clients give me either wine or chocolates or both which I hand over to my work colleagues who enjoy both. My dilemma is, I would never buy wine or chocolates for them myself yet here I am giving them wine and chocolates just because I don’t want to waste them and it makes me feel good to share – but what am I sharing and should I simply put them in the bin?

Thank you for sharing this Leonne. If someone wants alcohol, they can purchase it themselves. In my opinion it can never be a gift, the harm it causes is too great. And as you share I too always felt how horrible it felt to buy alcohol as a gift, it always felt that there was a lack of care and attention of the person in the purchase.

I agree Leonne, I have done exactly the same thing many years ago before I gave up drinking and could feel how awful it was to do this even though I know it was the done thing or looked good to others.

Thank you Leonne, the ONLY one thing that inspired me to stop drinking alcohol were Universal Medicine’s teachings. Once I understood the poison it was to my body it was instant stop for me. This was after many years of violent, uncontrollable, ill etc behaviour as a result. I look back and none of these results were actually the true me. This is the poison it causes and it was one of the best choices I have made.

Reading your comment Leonne, it reminded me of my own double standards, as for years I refused flat out to buy anyone cigarettes regardless of who they were, but would go out and buy alcohol. Alcohol used to be a huge part of my life growing up and well into my forties, even though I wasn’t a drinker I was surrounded with people who did drink regularly, so to me it was normal. Like cigarette smoking alcohol is also well known to cause problems but society has yet to catch up to the full extent of the harm it causes.

In Australia, alcohol is a part of nearly every celebration, function and party. The consumption of alcohol flies well under the radar in social circles as its used as a balm to sooth the feelings that don’t want to be felt.

When we separate from the love that we are, we forever seek that which we are not, to substitute for the lack of love we feel. If enough people do it, we now have an excuse for such wayward behaviour because we have made ‘normal’ what is never normal and that is, to live counter to the love we are.

Wow Liane that is a clear revelation and I like it very much. It is not so easy to swallow it – we are responsible for the mess we are in.

Deanne Voysey says:April 27, 2016 at 4:47 pm

Yes, we have an unspoken arrangement not to challenge each other’s wayward ways. In fact, we have rather incredible powers of co-operation when it comes to supporting each other’s vices, just imagine if we put that same ability to work together towards re-connecting with the love that we are……..

Otto Bathurst says:April 30, 2016 at 10:40 pm

Absolutely Chris. It is a total given. Not even discussed. Where are we at, whereby the daily consumption of poison is considered fun, utterly acceptable and actively encouraged. It says a great deal about how we value ourselves.

I’ve had the same Leonne, it comes down to responsibility. If we don’t wish to harm ourselves, how are we to harm another if we are all made of the same. When we live by the knowing that everything effects everything we understand the responsibility in our every choice we make.

To feel that when I get offered as a Christmas present, from one of the companies I work with, a bottle of wine that declining is not enough, because then my colleagues celebrate for one of them takes it home. Responsibility in this case means throw the wine in the kitchen sink.

I had exactly the same experience Leonne.
lt is now even difficult for me to serve it to others let alone giving it as a gift. However, when we hold our love, if we have to serve it to others, they at least have an opportunity to see our reflection of loving honour of our own bodies. Being the loving reflection is everything for them in that moment.

Great question to ask and with clear valid reason too Martin. These stats are horrific. Is a death still not a death whether it is caused by alcohol or by bomb/gun shot? Surely every death due to alcohol should be significant enough for us to declare alcohol as the danger it actually is.

“Surely every death due to alcohol should be significant enough for us to declare alcohol as the danger it actually is”. I totally agree Rosanna, one death from the effects of alcohol is one death too many. If there is one life changing subject to be added to the school curriculum, the dangers of alcohol should be it!

Ingrid Ward thank you for sharing that the significance is there in the stats. How interesting that we as a society can continue to ignore these knowing the harm it continues to cause in our current media coverage. Could it be possible that we are still playing safe with our lives and that if we are not affected by this then it can’t be all that bad?

Thankyou for this punch of love Martin. Before we can take responsibility for whether we buy alcohol or not, we need to get very, very honest as to why we are drinking it in the first place. Why do we need to feel ‘comfortably numb’? And how long are we going to hide in the ‘everyone else is doing it so why can’t I’ mentality? Deciding to drink doesn’t happen over night. It is a choice we keep choosing that begins with:
1. Turning away from the love that we are
2. Feeling miserable void of this love
3. Seeking anything and everything to fill the seeming void and quell the misery we have thus created
4. Getting others to join us in our desperate quest
5. Telling ourselves that if everyone else is doing it, it’s got to be ‘normal’
6. Choosing to forget that it is normal to be love and anything less is an abnormality that we tell ourselves is ‘normal’ when what we really mean is that it is common, never normal, to fight the love that we are.

Very important questions Liane to ask before even considering buying alcohol, food or any substance or entertainment. I continually see how when some are miserable and don’t care for themselves that instead of being inspired by someone who is not miserable, they don’t like to see their choices and want others to come down and join in the same misery. This is definitely not normal as you say it has just been condoned and tolerated.

It is quite a powerful message from drinkers though: Be miserable and numb, too or I will be tempted to make you miserable and uncomfortable, at least for the moment. It seems to work, as many people drink more than they would like.

Which in effect translates to: “Do not dare expose that which I have chosen to not feel the fullness of All that I am”. And so it is that we bully each other in false comradery and set up friendships based on protection, lest we expose the love that we all are.

Powerful comment in which Liane has exposed the root cause of why we cling onto and defend our area of comfort and numbness, when our disregard of who we truly are, is reflected back to us. Instead of taking responsibility and reflecting on how we are living, we seek the company of others who also live in disregard.

When we fully understand why we do these things that are detrimental to our health and wellbeing, it is far easy to just stop doing them. Alcohol and cigarettes I used to use to totally numb out from what I was feeling and I was trying to fill the void of missing me and what true love actually is.

Yes Kevin I can relate. I use to do the same and it was a lot easier to give up harming patterns and behaviours when I brought the understanding of why I was doing that. Building self care and self appreciation have been very supportive for me letting go of things and behaviours that do not support my body.

Yes these substances numb us so that we can’t feel. They numb out the feelings that we don’t want to feel, but this also means we can’t feel the good feelings either. The high we get from alcohol is a false high that then has a low. Without the highs and lows we have a chance to feel what is really there so we can have a chance to heal.

I agree Kevin, it has to come from us actually feeling this. For years I drank way too much and was ill many times and I would feel what alcohol was doing to me both physically and mentally but I wasn’t prepared to stop until my health got worse! I haven’t drunk alcohol now for 10 years, just going to courses and workshops run by Serge Benhayon and Universal Medicine helped me to be more connected to me and my body and then I was able to start making more loving choices for myself, which I soooooooo appreciate now ?

It definitely is a choice Liane & despite the fact that so many say the day after a drinking binge…’never again’ because of how awful they feel (confirmation of the true poison it is in the body), they are back at it the next week! What kind of intelligence chooses to do this to oneself?

Liane I used to enjoy a wine or two every night, and I can honestly say it was a deliberate choice to take the edge off the day I had lived, and I would drink just enough to feel ‘comfortably numb’. However the downside was I’d feel lethargic and I was not clear-headed so I ended up being a couch potato. I didn’t actually consider deeply that this was no way to live at the time. Nowadays alcohol has no hold on me.

Liane, you’ve traced back the steps away we take from love which lead us to taking that drink, or indeed anything else which numbs or poisons us. We turn away from the love we are and once we do, we look at to find anything to numb that feeling of being away from the love we are. And then we get ourselves into all sorts of contortions to not be the love we are and convince ourselves it’s normal when it isn’t. Crazy.

‘Before we can take responsibility for whether we buy alcohol or not, we need to get very, very honest as to why we are drinking it in the first place. Why do we need to feel ‘comfortably numb’?’
I was feeling the same self-inquiry here Liane – whether we choose alcohol or not the choice to use a substance and or behaviour to move away from the responsibility of shining the love and light we are is actually what is contributing to the masses of lovelessness in the world. And the rate of alcohol drinkers and drug takers etc. are a direct result of this choice to not see our true purpose for being here on earth. The irresponsibility of our ways goes far and deep and the ugliness of this can be seen in these statistics of alcohol abuse.

Wow Martin, this is absolutely amazing and so power-full it is absolutely true as you write and share it here we are all responsible…you made it here about Australia with the facts and research and I know it is everywhere the same…actually it is a worldly responsibility so every single one us is responsible. I love the way how you make it so real and tangible. Thank You.

I was a child growing up in a home with an alcoholic, in this case money to buy alcohol was not a problem but there will be many others whom this financial discount will be an incentive to purchase more alcohol. I am very surprised to see large supermarket chains prompting drinking alcohol in way of a discount on the back of dockets. Great that you are saying ‘consider the impact of this on children’ Martin. Having been raised in a household where a family member drank heavily and abused alcohol the effects of this growing up was hideous. There is a real responsibility and level of integrity that is not being taken. This is shocking and needs addressing by these large food chains.

Very true Katie and the impact of growing up in a house with an alcoholic has ripple effects for generations. I have seen it go 2 ways, the children either learn by example that it is a coping mechanism and exhibit the same behaviours, or they choose to not have anything to do with alcohol. Either way, the hurts run very deep.

Absolutely Lucy, it may be a simple advert and incentive on the back of a till receipt, but there are far reaching consequences to such tactics. If we all learn by experience it can never ever be an isolated, harmless thing.

And shocking in this day and age Katie, in a so called sophisticated society that poisonous substances are swallowed and most ‘don’t bat an eyelid’. We ignore that which we just don’t want to see. We all do this on one level or another so whether it is alcohol or another behaviour or substance – we must begin to call out all abuse.

So true Steve, because you need to be checked out even to buy alcohol to destroy cells in your own body, or of those you buy it for, let alone contributing to the statistics Martin mentions. You simply cannot purchase alcohol responsibly.

Wow! Shocking statistics on the use of alcohol – including death, abuse, illness that you have brought to light here Martin.
Thank you – this is great with highlighting the consequences of our choices – ‘as we sow, so we reap’ and may be a huge eye opener for teenagers being tempted to follow the example of their peer group for that alcoholic drink that causes no harm!?,

Yes it is shocking Stephanie the impact of alcohol, and it’s not just the teenagers, the age group who often drink most are the well heeled middle aged, and of course as they do so at home with friends, it’s somehow considered almost respectable and not disruptive to society. It’s a hidden epidemic and in some cases they drink more than the young. I know from how I’ve been in the past and for many around me now, to have a drink is considered a reward and many justify by saying they’re not out on binges at the weekend causing havoc so supporting the lie that they’re fine and can handle it, but alcohol is very insidious and even so called respectful or controlled drinking has impacts and these are often hidden. We become rougher with ourselves and others when we drink, we turn a blind eye to what is going on around us and we check out from life including our family and loved ones. We all need to have a very honest conversation about the fact that no matter how little or how much drinking alcohol impacts us – we lie to ourselves if we tell ourselves otherwise.

This is a powerful visual reminder you use here Martin to remember alcohol is the cause of much violence that we are indeed party to by continuing to buy it.
I have been at the other end of that ‘dead and blank eyed look’ you speak of – it is chilling and very ugly being held to look into the bottomless pit of pure evil in the eyes and the person acting in a way that is not their usual nature and completely unaware of the abuse they are inflicting – until they see the evidence when they sober up. Then there is disbelief and remorse. I am still here to tell the tale, but many are not so fortunate.
“take a moment to imagine what they are seeing and feeling when they look into the dead and blank eyes of their intoxicated abuser or how the stench of the very drink you are buying can be smelt on their breath or sweating from the pores of their skin. Then take a look at your purchase and think for a moment, what exactly is it that I am buying into? And then later, when you’re sitting at home, enjoying your drink, take a moment to toast all the children and women who are being abused in that moment and appreciate the fact that you’ve just contributed to it, by the nature of putting your money into buying that product in the first place.”.

How often in a court of law do offenders attempt to get off with the ‘I knew not what I was doing because I was drunk”. Fortunately for everyone no leniency is given at all in these circumstances because our behaviour when we are intoxicated has resulted from our conscious choice to drink.

Very true Jennifer, I have used this excuse in the past for what I have done under the influence of alcohol. When times seemed too tough and I just needed to take the edge off what I was feeling it was all too easy and familiar to use alcohol to numb myself.

Not so long ago I went on a school coach trip with my 7 year old son. The coach absolutely reeked of alcohol and all I was imaging were the occupants of the coach the night before in their inebriated state thinking they were having a laugh and that everything was fine in blissful ignorance that the following morning 30 seven year olds would have to sit in those same seats inhaling their stench!

Powerful testimony Stephanie as is Martin’s blog . He converts statistics to human beings, a child, woman or man, their injuries, abuse and suffering and relates it back to the choice to buy a bottle of alcohol. If adverts did the same and linked alcohol to violence, not glamour, perhaps people would be more aware of the choice they’re making when buying alcohol.

Yes, exactly Esther. Martin could have easily just given a little bit and made us ponder to the effects of alcohol, but instead he decided to not let anyone reading this sit in the comfort of our choices. He has certainly stirred and agitated our comfort in what we think responsibility is too. A really great blog to get us moving and that by choosing to feel and not check out we are actually setting a new standard on earth.

I like the bigger picture you are drawing. We like to think that when we do things in moderation or only in certain circumstances it is ok but as you so clearly lay open, we always have a take in things no matter how little or how much we do/use something as soon as we subscribe to something we give our yes to the all that this something represents/is/brings.

There is a wide acceptance of the consumption of alcohol when it comes under the banner of being social to the point where people will sit around while drinking and say that a few drinks are ok while comparing themselves to the drunk that lives on the street and say that at least they are not that bad.

Great piece of writing Martin. You bring up such a logical questions that I am wondering why we didn’t raise those questions before. It is like we were asleep and you give the world an opportunity to wake up.

For a long time I have felt frustrated about the fact that in The Netherlands, the country where I live, they sell all cans of vegetables in which there is always added sugar. There is no need for that but they just put it in. And I am talking about all the giant food stores. When this food is served to children they built an addiction to sugar without the parents are aware about the fact that the child is getting sugar daily in their ‘healthy’ meal.
When I ask people they are surprised. They say that they never checked the ingredients on the can because they expect it to be just vegetables. The canning companies and supermarkets have a big responsibility here. They sell something that they put sugar in to get people to like it more and get addicted to the sugar. They make so much money with all this unhealthy food.
The world is manipulated by this system. It is time we all step up and speak up. I went to a major supermarket to make an official complaint. That is my responsibility as a human being. We all have that responsibility to care for children and they deserve nutrition that is not laced with sugar.

Sylvia, I agree it is equally irresponsible to sell and promote sugar, particularly in drinks and foods marketed at children. Manufacturers routinely add ‘hidden’ sugars in savoury foods and you have to be a food detective and check labelling to find this out. It is unethical and harmful to do this. Many people faced with the pace of modern living and pressures, don’t have time or will to do this. Many seek to numb away the pain and dreariness of their lives with sugar, caffeine, and carbs. Self care means we take responsibility for our own health and not rely on others ( the supermarkets and canning companies) to do it for us. On the whole fresh is best. And we do have a voice and can speak up against the irresponsible behaviour of supermarkets in the way you and Martin did.

I will certainly pay more attention to my till receipts (dockets) in future Martin. It really great that you did not hold back and responded to the call of bringing attention to those ‘sneeky’ advertising campaigns that deliberately hook those vulnerable people in, at the thought of a cheap purchase of their favourite tipple. The figures that you share of alcohol related abuse is quite an eye opener. Surprising what a little investigation turns up.

Brilliant article Martin. How often it is that when it comes to alcohol we sooner shrug off the undeniable knowing it is a poison to our body, so we can sit back in in our oblivion to enjoy our consumption of it. How have we convinced ourselves this is ok? Or knowing it actually is not ok, what is it that we are overriding to ‘enjoy our drink’ anyway?

The statistics for alcohol related violence are huge and when people stand up and speak out, such as the 2016 senior Australian of the Year Professor Gordian Fulde, they very often get attacked. I am pleased he, like you, speaks out and points out the hypocrisy and the enormous harm and impacts on other people that come from our choices. It is our choice to live in isolation that means we choose to indulge in our own pleasures and not see the responsibility we have to the larger population.

How deeply embedded we are in a way of life that considers drinking a poison (scientific fact on alcohol) is good for us and quite acceptable, as ‘the majority do it, so it is normal’ – in truth, it temporarily loosens our walls of protection and inhibitions to feel as if we belong and there is no separation or loneliness. What an illusion we live in and champion daily. Not wanting to let go of the comfort of having our hurts and senses dulled or numbed out completely, the herd instinct of a collective consciousness then has the audacity to attack any one who dares to stand up and present the truth of the irresponsibility of our living and the harm this causes.

Yes I agree Lucy it is hypocritical…there is something very off and wrong about a family supermarket chain that discounts alcohol – the very substance that is influencing domestic violence and breaks up families.

I think we should take it one step further as I always felt it was so wrong when supermarkets started selling alcohol – as if they were giving their stamp of approval that food and alcohol are natural partners that both should be made readily available to all households. Prior to that I was battling with the brazen move to arm each checkout with lollies and chocolates, to tempt all shoppers and definitely all children on the way out – just in case you may have resisted going down the sweets aisle. I have witnessed so many poor mothers battling with their children who were either demanding, pestering or begging for the sweets on display at their eye level. It must be torturous for the checkout operators being regularly subjected to the wailing and tantrums.

This is a good example Tamara of how we permit ‘peer pressure’ in our society, supermarket visits for most people are a necessary part of life. By subjecting each shopper to chocolate and sweets while waiting to pay, not only is the adult pressured to buy these products on impulse for themselves, to abate the embarrassment of children’s tantrums many parents probably give in from time to time too.

This example of 2016 Senior Australian of the Year Professor Gordian Fulde being attacked highlights bullying as a tactic to uphold the status quo, to silence those who call humanity to account and anyone else before they even consider it.

I am very pleased you take this conversation about alcohol and responsibility to a deeper level. Thank you for that, because we need to understand that we are all equally responsible, companies are responding to a call. However, for the larger picture of public health, one part of the chain needs to make a stand so perhaps companies need to look very hard at why they are choosing to put profits before people.

It is a difficult topic as there are a great many people out there who do not see the harm in alcohol, and whilst society continues to run with the ‘everything in moderation’ excuse, we are yet to see that we are excusing a known poison to be consumed in moderation….not only a poison to the body, but to all of society in the rates of domestic violence and abuse it leads to. Until such times when we all see collectively alcohol for what it truly is and the extent in which it harms, it will remain protected by those who are not yet willing to see the truth of it.

This blog also highlights what is deemed and accepted as ‘responsibility’ en mass in the world today. There are advertisements for alcohol and on the very bottom in tiny wrighting often can be found the words ‘drink responsibly’. Our current picture of responsibility is that it is acceptable to place a poison into your body so long as behaviours do not get extreme. But any amount of alcohol consumed snowballs into the extremes, as you’ve shared here Martin, even the smallest amount of alcohol bought is contributing to the acceptance of a substance that causes vast amounts of abuse.

Exactly Leigh, there is no responsible way of consuming alcohol, as the only true responsibility we have with alcohol is to ban it out of our societies. As we allow ourselves to truly let in and feel what the atrocities caused by alcohol intake are bringing to us, there can be no other answer then to do so, to take our personal responsibility and stop using alcohol as when we not do that, we are contributing to all the abuse that is caused by alcohol consumption.

That old, well used adage ‘a little of what you fancy does you good’ comes to mind here – giving licence to continually ignore the truth communicated by the body 24/7 in a variety of ways that something is amiss with living this way – accidents, illness, skin rashes, hangovers to out-of-control emotions that can lead to murder in extreme cases etc. The power of one little saying to keep us living irresponsibly and locked into familiar and safe comfort.

That is a deep responsibility that we are called into here by Martin and if we take the small print serious, that says ‘drink responsibly’ then after reading this blog, that drink cannot contain alcohol.

I have a friend who is going to work on the London Underground as a train driver on the night shift and he has been told already that they expect more deaths at night from people being drunk and falling onto the tracks. One thing that sticks out with regards to the Underground is the high percentage of adverts promoting alcohol and like you say Leigh they all have the words ‘drink responsibly’ at the bottom in small letters.

Isn’t it kind of like giving someone a gun and saying ‘shoot responsibly’. How about ‘don’t kill anyone’. Tobacco products now reveal in photos on their packets what their effects are – I don’t think a domestically abused woman would go down too well on the side of six pack. But maybe that’s what we need.

Time to sit up and take note of what we’re buying into and the endorsement of all the implications and unintended, brushed-under-the-carpet consequences that brings. This applies not only to the world of alcohol but to every other form of purchase or investment we make. We have the purse strings. It’s in our gift therefore to vote with our wallets and change the world, if we stop to widen our perspective.

Alcohol is so needed because with the consumption of it the awareness of responsibility becomes numbed, but numbing our awareness not only causes great calamaity within our own bodies, it is impacting the whole world in deep devastation.

Those statistics are huge, …”Every single day 430 Australians are hospitalised due to alcohol related harm…” this one alone is staggering, one day, multiply that by 365… choices to drink so much that it requires hospitalisation are choices that impact the whole community and health care system.

and when someone is hospitalised intoxicated and very unwell, it takes an enormous amount of resources often to care for them, much more than if sober. It’s no surprises then that our emergency departments are overwhelmed.

And we the taxpayers and wider community are subsiding other peoples choice to trash themselves and be totally irresponsible. I recently heard someone suggest that the bill should be passed on directly to the one that chose to get intoxicated – I would support this 100%. Maybe then they will think twice about the choices they are making with alcohol when they get the enormous hospital bill!

I think that’s a great suggestion Marika and I am sure everyone (other than irresponsible drinkers) would agree. It makes such good sense that those who abuse themselves with alcohol and then burden the health system should be made to pay for the costs incurred thereby giving them an opportunity to learn an invaluable lesson. This is true responsibility.

Amazing Johanne, I wonder what the global cost of alcohol is in financial terms. We have all the austerity cuts yet if we want to save money then healthier lifestyle choices must surely be the simplest way. I can’t quantify how much money I have saved in the four years since I stopped drinking.

I agree Johanne and that is just in one country – I know the statistics are high in UK and USA too. The ripple effect is enormous – not just for our body, but for our health services and for our friends and relatives and work colleagues too when we drink – and our body is affected and we then need the care for the harm we have inflicted upon ourselves. It is interesting this discussion as deep down we all know alcohol is harming, just as we know smoking is harming too. Yet, we still over ride this, and our governments and industries collude with this as they as individuals also know but still find comfort in alcohol. Maybe governments and industries also don’t want to take a firmer stance so as not to rock the boat with their constituents and citizens, yet somewhere down the line someone or something has to rock the boat – so that we all come to the plain truth of the matter and start to let go of the disregard we have known all along.

Yes its great Martin that you invited the big supermarkets to comment. What is so interesting is that Coles responded in an attempt to position themselves as more responsible as Woolworths and IGA…but as soon as you called them to account they went silent. We need to keep speaking up…the power is with us the consumers who have the choice where to spend their money and on what.

I agree Simon, social media is a great medium for discussing topics such as these. It also gives us access to question the very perpetrators of such actions….so long as it remains an open questioning and not a targeting abuse as some enter into.

Thanks Martin: Shop a Docket would not provide a promotion like this for cigarettes so why alcohol? It seems an absurd contradiction that the responsibility and popular belief that alcohol is any less harming than cigarettes yet we treat it as something that should be sanctioned in a way that makes it ok – to the point of promoting alcohol sales at the checkout. It would seem that shareholder profit is stronger than human sensibility in this measure.

Thank you Martin for bringing to light that we all equally responsible for the abusive behaviour that goes on in this country due to alcohol consumption. Change can only happen when as a collective we say no to alcohol. Thank you for your boldness in speaking truth.

Spot on Donna, Martin exposes beautifully how we are all responsible and that there is no point in blaming one person or group, but that it is about all of us pulling up our socks and working together!

There is big money in alcohol sales. Not only do Coles and Woolworths promote alcohol sales via shopper dockets, they own bottle shops, that are usually located next door to the supermarket but Woolworths is one of the largest owners of pubs across Australia.

That’s very interesting Jennifer. Pubs in the UK are now beginning to suffer for loss of trade and needing to convert into gastro pubs or lose their businesses. I wonder if Woolworths are feeling the same pressure?

These monopolies and the convenient locations of their alcohol sales points are deliberately manipulated and marketed to hook people. What is the difference between selling a young person alcohol and hitting them across the face or tripping them up so they fall? The latter abuse they will recover more quickly. The former may begin a life time of constant abuse. Sounds outrageous – but is it?

BAM. And the truth be told and laid out for all to see. No holding back on this on Martin Gladman and thank you for going there. These are important (and hard) questions to be asking. Alcohol causes so much damage as these statistics show and if you purchase it (no matter how fine – or cheap – the wine is etc… ) you are saying YES to the industry that causes much harm. That is where true responsibility comes in – are you prepared to put yourself to the side (I need my drink to wind down at the end of the day) and say I am not prepared to support an industry that causes such harm to the human race. I am glad that I have said NO to Alcohol but your blog has also prompted me to look at other areas of my life where I am still saying YES to and supporting an industry that I may not really want to.

A great call and reminder here Sarah – what other areas of our life do we continue to invest in something with no awareness of the insidious harm of ‘the whole package’ that comes with it.
” I am glad that I have said NO to Alcohol but your blog has also prompted me to look at other areas of my life where I am still saying YES to and supporting an industry that I may not really want to”.

Love it Martin Gladman, thank you. Whether it be alcohol or something else you are showing the responsibility we all have in not just turning away or turning over the shopper docket so we can’t see it. I think contacting Coles via tweeter was a classic and although it seemed like a computer type answer it’s a step. Where ever it seems there is big money we have blurred lines between what should happen and what actually happens and there is big money in alcohol. I have seen many faces of alcohol and as yet I haven’t seen one that ends well. Thanks again Martin.

Putting respect and care for society aside, purely from an economical standpoint, it is either short sighted of governments to calculate revenue from alcohol sales is greater than the costs to other government sectors such as the police force, healthcare and social services or no-one wants to the question and put themselves in the firing line or alcohol sales are through the roof.

So true Fiona and Martin – the level of responsibility Martin outlines here is the potential we can live in all areas of our lives – not bystanding but speaking up, and also in the way we are chosing to live.

The ‘face of alcohol’ is a mask we wear so that others do not see the love that we are. This we hide because we know we live in a world that has not been set up to support the exquisite tenderness and sensitivity we each are deep in essence. To cope with the onslaught of this love-less way of living we have created, we harden and toughen ourselves and put on a ‘face’ that all is ok when really, one need only scratch below the surface of this façade to see and feel the misery that comes with the choice to live less than the love that we are. Because we do this on mass, we condone such behaviour as normal when in-truth it is an aberration of who we truly are.

Martin now that’s what I call being responsible in being willing to say how it is! Alcohol harms full stop! I experienced this as child in a home consumed by alcohol. I see its contribution to illness in my work in cancer care. I watch its negative effects on the behavior in young people in my life. To me there is no such thing as responsible use of alcohol, only the responsibility we all hold in getting to the root of why we choose to consume, promote, discount or sell a known poison to our human bodies.

A key point you make here Sharon – If we don’t get to the root of the problem, the branches continue to flourish and grow in a diseased and ill way.
Since stopping drinking even a minimal intake of alcohol, I am far more aware of the nefarious harm it causes. It is always a panacea to avoid exposing the deep hurts we carry.
“To me there is no such thing as responsible use of alcohol, only the responsibility we all hold in getting to the root of why we choose to consume, promote, discount or sell a known poison to our human bodies”.

Well said Sharon. I agree with you, there is no such thing as the responsible use of alcohol, it is like talking about the responsible use of a submachine gun or the responsible use of a bomb. It is laughable when you look underneath the words.

Great title for this blog and one that asks an extremely poignant question. The exposure of the breadth and depth of harm that alcohol causes needs to be taken seriously – much more seriously than ever before, The statistics are continually rising and it is only us that can stop them by facing the truth, accepting the truth and living the truth.

Its an interesting shift that has taken place in the use of alcohol over the last 10+ years. In the past much of the drinking was in pubs and clubs and so effects and peoples behaviour was available for all to see. However, the increase in the take home market has been immense, and my feeling is that this allows the problem to go underground… having a much more wide reaching effect, almost without us noticing.

This is so true Elaine, ‘the breadth and depth of harm that alcohol causes needs to be taken seriously’, alcohol is seen as something fun, relaxing and sociable when in reality as the statistics in this article show the reality is very different, it feels like as a society we want to carry on drinking alcohol and not talk about or face up to how harmful it really is.

Great blog Martin, so often the ‘get out’ clause is ‘responsible drinking is ok’ but this is where this blog delves even further and blows this convenient excuse out of the water. As you so rightly say, when that alcohol is bought we are buying into EVERYTHING that alcohol is used for, on EVERY level. With statistics like the ones you have quoted, we cannot stand by and use comfortable excuses that turn a blind eye to what is really going on.

Martin you really expose the truth of what alcohol, and how when we buy or support it we effectively buy into all that comes with it, so we are enablers to abuse and this is uncomfortable to hear and the truth is many do not want to hear this, and this is part of a wider issue many of us partake in, as long as my little corner of the world is fine, be it my family, my home or my workplace then we feel we have the right to do as we please (in moderation of course!) and we do not want to consider that by partaking in substances such as alcohol we are part of that wider culture of abuse. You’re right we have some way to go as a species before we begin to fully accept this level of responsibility but one day we will, and being reminded today that we all have a part to play is key.

‘Everything in moderation’, be it sugar or alcohol is the big trick that we humans use to fool ourselves and to kid ourselves that a ‘little bit’, now and then is ok and harms no-one including oneself….. fact is when we use the phrase; everything in moderation, it is just another way of saying , I don’t want to take responsibility and my little life is going well right now, why rock the boat? Yep, we make the world all about, me, me and me!

Thank you Martin for collating all this information together in this important Document (as I see It) for all to read and take action on. The statistics you have collected in your research are much worse than I ever imagined. I very rarely look at the shopper dockets so I had no idea that alcohol was so widely advertised on them.

Yes I very rarely look at the back of my shopper dockets Roslyn after reading this informative blog from Martin I shall also check out the reverse of all my car parking tickets and any bills of sale in future. I wonder if who ever decided to promote this toxic liquid on the back of till dockets realise the enormity of the affect this will have on human life, or is it back to turning a blind eye and its all to do with making the money!! and blow the consequence!!

I agree Roslyn it is an important document. It is something we could all do as we see these anomolies and contradictions in life – e.g. if we observed all of the ones related to alcohol like this one, we could collect up a dossier and send to government – and if a group of this did this together that is super powerful in standing up to say ‘no more, enough is enough’.

A hard hitting blog Martin. Raising many questions that have been ignored for far to long. I really enjoy how you brought the whole message home by saying just imagine a classroom of children and seeing one day they will be the statistic if our behaviours don’t change.

We can’t continue to separate the the consequences of these choices, that we are making it has an impact, to even have alcohol in a supermarket where our everyday staples are available seem wrong to me, alcohol should not be a part of every day.

Definitely! it is normalising having a drink everyday. Alcohol was never part of the every day in my childhood – in fact it was seldom in our house until the wine fad hit Australia around the 80’s if I recall correctly. And now we have it advertised and sold alongside our groceries. And we also have the horrendous statistics of the consequences of this choice.

Thank you for bringing this subject to our notice Martin, yes, I have also been very disturbed by this practice by the large supermarkets. I have been aware of all the ramifications of alcohol use and abuse, it has a very harming effect on our society, and it is absolutely appalling that the supermarkets are encouraging the use of it to such a high degree now. It is great that you have done the research into the health effects on our society, after all, alcohol is actually a poison and is accepted as that being truth. The use of these dockets to allow people to buy alcohol at a cheaper price is purely an advertising campaign to sell more of their product so the supermarkets make even higher profits. I would imagine that the liquor shops that they now own and run bring in much revenue to them. It is great that you have exposed that the department that made the decision to allow them to run this program for the till receipts would appear to have had much pressure put on it to allow that. This is something that needs to go public, we should all know that this is happening.

Thank you for bringing in the human element to these “sobering” statistics Martin and that’s indeed the effect they should be having. Along with the more serious violence and abuse stemming from alcohol consumption is the insidious seemingly harmless neglect of others in households where so called “normal” levels of alcohol are consumed resulting in the gradual break down of relationships due to lack of communication and connection.

Thank you Martin. What an absolute rippa of an article and put truth delivered. I was glued at every word and am shocked at the extreme of the statistics that you have exposed, especially ‘Within ten years there was 62 per cent increase in the rate of alcohol-related deaths and diseases in Australia.’ From seeing society and feeling what is going on I knew it was bad and so far what we truly deserve but these very real statistics highlight the urgency needed for us all to take the responsibility for what we are supporting.

Wow thank you for getting to it Martin and sharing the very real and tragic effects alcohol has on humanity. The children and women who are being beaten and abused from someone drinking alcohol doesn’t look as it is something harmless, a bit of fun, relaxing and taking the edge off of life… NO, not at all! They see their parent or partner or uncle or auntie change before their eyes and the absolute terror of that is nothing to just rob off as ‘well that’s just what they do’. This is a big wake up call in all areas of our lives and what we are investing in and supporting in every purchase we make… or stand by, by not speaking up.

Thank you Martin for bringing such a clear and powerful article on taking responsibility with Alcohol and the rippling effect that it is having on everyone in Australia .
And for also exposing the Supermarket Giants for their part – I have always wondered about why do super markets put the discount Alcohol on the shopping docket .

Thank you Martin for this very powerful offering. Reading about all the statistics and how you have put them into a more realistic picture really made me feel that is the exact thing we are trying to look away from and check out – a possibility that we may have a responsibility in what is going on in society, and that we may have to look at the way we ourselves are living and perhaps change.

I used to drink a lot, not to the extent to harm anyone physically, so while I was aware of the abuse I was inflicting onto myself, I used to think that it was all contained and if it was ever a ‘problem’ it was all mine to deal with and not affecting anyone else, and anything I read about or saw on alcohol related abuse – I thought they had nothing to do with me. I used to think ‘Well, I never drink THAT much’ ‘It’s ok to let loose every now and then’ etc. We really need to consider the full extent of what we are actually saying yes to when we say yes to something.

There are some other things like alcohol, like cigarettes, porn, video games etc. that we are aware of their harm, yet being normalised and allowed in society ‘as long as it is used responsibly’ and made largely available and accessible – there might be a corruptive relationship between the big corporates and the government, but this ok-ness from our end as a consumer is definitely something that needs pondering on. On what basis, are we saying ok for abuse to come into our life, even if a very little amount? Is our life so bad that we give away even a small percentage of it in exchange of the relief we get from those substances/activities?

Yes a great point Fumiyo “On what basis, are we saying ok for abuse to come into our life, even if a very little amount?” Alcohol is causing a lot of abuse to others by the people who are drinking it and are getting aggressive but it first causes harm to the person drinking it. And this happens also when ingested in small amounts.
Why do we as a society even accept a substance in our assortment of drinks that we know alters peoples state and causes people to get out of control and aggressive and do things they normally with a sober mind would not do? That actually does not make sense!

This is so true Lieke, ‘Why do we as a society even accept a substance in our assortment of drinks that we know alters peoples state and causes people to get out of control and aggressive and do things they normally with a sober mind would not do? That actually does not make sense!’, alcohol does affect people I see this, i do not drink and so it is interesting to observe the changes that happen to people when they do, I often leave social situations when people start to drink as I feel people change; become louder and not be themselves and so staying feels rather pointless.

‘Is our life so bad that we give away even a small percentage of it in exchange of the relief we get from those substances/activities?’ Good question Fumiyo. I know when I fell into the habit of having a drink in the evenings after work it gradually changed how I was eating and I turned more to watching TV because it left me lethargic. Once I started taking more care of myself and addressing the reasons why I was strung out and needing to take the edge of life the desire for alcohol soon dropped away altogether. That’s when I realised that even drinking that would not be considered anti-social has negative consequences that are not captured in those statistics that Martin has researched. Checking out does not make for healthy individuals or a healthy society. We need to be more responsible than that. I am glad I made that choice.

It may seem useless, and perhaps powerless to some to voice their truth regarding the true impact of alcohol and how they truly see it in relation to advertisements on a big scale like this one. Most stay meek and mild expecting the few who do stand up to voice what they are feeling but in truth together we all have a massive impact, it only takes a unity based on truth and love to bring this forth.

Well said Joshua, we have to let go of the idea that our voice does not have an effect as it does. Even if it is not shown straight away. The other thing is as you said, if we all express what we actually are feeling about these things, much change will occur. It is the silence of the masses that allows evil to grow the most.

Thank you for sharing this Martin, the truth about alcohol must be told, over and over again, until we all will understand and accept the truth of what alcohol is doing to our societies on a individual and grander scale. While science is slowly coming to this same conclusion, that alcohol is a poison and should not be available for human consumption, it is the responsibility of the individual who has to come to this same conclusion and stop its wayward behaviour of using alcohol as a means to cope with the anxiousness and stress they experience in life.

Thank you Martin for exposing the shocking statistics of the harming effects of alcohol and the care-less promotion of alcohol by retail outlets. The even more sobering fact you expose is that anyone who buys alcohol shares the responsibility for the abuse, violence and destruction of health and lives by fueling the demand for the continuing production of alcohol.

The thing is alcohol not only abuses woman and children but abuses the person themselves, it numbs them of all sensitivity and awareness, and rots them from the inside out, be it once or over years. With understanding this often comes from a complete misery and deep sadness and not wanting to be responsible for self or life choices. Alcohol consumption and in truth the energy that wields through a person after what can be only one drink, when they visible change from being themselves, can affect and entrench house holds, and people’s bodies, world over, for years. There can often be a bullying and control energy playing out through the person that drinks, in the sense where people are scared to speak up incase of the emotional reaction or abuse it may cause. But this needs to stop being the case. There is a much deeper evil playing out here, one that can affects children well into their adult years.

This article is the type of thing that should go viral, not all that other mindless nonsense, great stuff Martin. It is far too easy to sit back and do nothing when we choose to be oblivious of what is actually happening out there and why it is happening. So many of the problems we have in society would just vanish if alcohol was just used for its true purpose of killing germs.

This made me chuckle and yet it is equally also very poignant… So many of the problems we have in society would just vanish if alcohol was just used for its true purpose of killing germs.” Alcohol does not have a place in everyday consumption. What ever is considered normal regarding alcohol has developed from a need we do not feel we are meeting in ourselves, what do we seek when we seek respite and numbing in alcohol. We have manipulated a substance that is perfectly good as a sanitiser and as you say ‘germ killer’ into something that temporarily relieves us of the ache we feel of missing ourselves, our inner connection. We can reconnect with that, we can live with that reconnection, but alcohol will never be the solution.

I agree Kevin, but it won’t happen because as a whole we don’t want to look at the truth of alcohol, we simply want to be able to carry on using our drug of choice without having to look at any of the consequences, without having to take any responsibility.

Yes Kevin – if we only used alcohol to kills germs (not a very pleasant smell that I would like in my house – I think I’ll stick to my normal products) instead of drinking it we would indeed solve many of the planet’s ills in one hit!

Why is it that in all Supermarkets and many shops, that most produce that is reduced or on promotion is food and drink loaded with sugar? The truth is sugar keeps us numb, it stops us from feeling or dealing with our hurts. Feeling sad, a bar of chocolate will do, then we don’t feel anymore, (no judgement here as I have done this,) same can be said for alcohol we use it to numb life and our emotional pain, not realising how much it affects us all. All of this we have set up to stop us living our truth, the fact we are all divine and tender Sons of God – to live this glory, we would not drink or eat half if not nearly all the stuff we do.

I agree. Sugar is really no different to alcohol in the way that it is used to numb or alter the nervous system. Although everyone knows deep down that alcohol and sugar harm the body but continue to consume them, then could we ask why we are so invested in protecting our hurts rather than dealing with them? Not only do they stay buried but we compound them with health related complications due to the consumption of alcohol and sugar on top.

A lady I met shared a realisation she had had over the Easter holiday about how addicted to sugar she was. She realised she was secretly binging on chocolate just like an alcoholic on Easter Sunday, and then she realised how she had passed that addiction on to her kids. With resolve she asked her kids if they would like to join her in cutting down/out on their sugar intake. The kids said yes and they are all sharing how different and more vital they feel without eating any refined sugar. It was a beautiful story for me to hear, not just because she and her kids were feeling more healthy, but the level of honesty she had got to and how open she was to seeing what her choices had led to. I was so blown away by her integrity and honesty. As this blog so poignantly points out we need to be open to seeing what it is we are doing to ourselves and others by our choices to keep numbing, whether it is with alcohol, sugar or anything else. The denial does nothing but delay the inevitable when we will all wake up and understand that without self love we will continually find ways to numb out the emptiness we feel. In the meantime our bodies, relationships and productivity cop the abuse as we go around in circles doing everything we can other than to admit that what we are craving is connection and love, first with ourselves and then with others.

We all have a huge responsibility in whats being bought, eaten and displayed in supermarkets and shops, if we were not feeding the need for sugar and to numb, then there would be no need to sell alcohol and such other things.

Absolutely, I agree, this is where we have the power and we are responsible. True Change comes from society making different choices. We cannot wait for governments, business, some else to make the choice, it has to begin with us.

Recently many large supermarkets in the UK have removed all the sweets from near the checkout as a result of parents complaining that it was encouraging children to nag them for sweets while queuing to pay. We do have the power to change things.

People often use the phrase ‘ just one drink, it’s doing no harm’ ‘ everything in moderation’ when this is so far from the truth. Be it one drink in a suburban house or a homeless person drinking out a bottle on the street, they are one and the same, there is no difference in the energy and harm it causes everybody. It’s incredible how we avoid taking responsibility for ourselves, our actions or thoughts, and make excuses, comparison or blame other people for the mess the world is in.

Yes, that’s so true Gyl because we rely on having a drink to block out what we do not want to feel so we convince each other that it’s OK, ‘red wine’ is good for you, everything in moderation, Guinness is full of iron – drink it when you are pregnant, which is crazy, we know alcohol harms but we will fight and protest because to take away our drink is not something we want to consider.

I agree Gyl, one single drink is enough to change the person drinking it and take them out of being themselves. If you don’t drink and are with a group of people drinking it is simple to observe how quickly they become a different person.

Great points you make here Gyl, we are all responsible in some way either from buying it and supporting its continuation or by not speaking up. Either way we all suffer from the repercussions. We may judge the homeless person in the street but that is their home so yes, it’s no different to those drinking under their own roof. Alcohol changes who you are from that very first mouthful.

It’s the same everywhere across the word, even in what you would call less affluent countries, alcohol is abused and promoted in exactly the same way, it might not be on till dockets, but it’s rift there at the front of the shops, or written up on bill boards or chalked on blackboards outside.

Thank you for making it very real and tangible what we are actually buying into when buying alcohol for ‘responsible use only’. We can try to make it look good by saying if I use it responsible it doesn’t matter but you just can’t when you see the numbers as real people and not just the next statistics to come along.

This is a huge topic absolutely. if we are drinking to numb our self loathing or lack of joy in life then it is so important to admit why we are doing it. The consumption of alcohol is such a huge topic too because of its perception as normal. In fact if you don’t drink you are considered abnormal and strange. When I think about how many people actually drink alcohol, and if we don’t count children but include teens, then I feel that more drink on the planet than not!

There was a study published yesterday about the number of women aged 20 to 40 that come home from work and wind down with a bottle wine. Women under the age of 40 are developing cirrhosis of the liver that is appearing ten years earlier than it is in men.

The statistics are shocking concerning what is happening in society due to alcohol consumption, but still it is ‘normalised’. Calling it normal does not make it so, what does normal mean any way..lets look at the facts, it harms those who drink it and those who are around those who drink. Business’s will not cease to offer it, it makes money and so it comes down to us in society changing how we use it and how we respond to it. We have the power and the responsibility.

The WHO has found that the inclusion of photos help changes the positive image of smoking to the actual detrimental effects with the association with the product. I agree with you Melinda about photos being placed on alcohol, showing the real damaging effects that come with excessive consumption! Then we have our next candidate, the sugar people!

Martin, this is a very much needed article, alcohol is considered so ‘normal in society, it is talked about as a fun thing to do, but rarely are these statistics you have listed talked about. Great to start this discussion and bring awareness to shops and supermarkets that promoting alcohol is not responsible, that people are more important than profit.

You take away the shades of comfort, Martin, nominating what is truly going on, what is felt by all of us, but looked away from. There should not be alcohol for sale anywhere, legally or illegally. Could you serve heroin responsibly?

Absolutely spot on Felix. The big lesson for me is that I have come to accept the status quo and look away! I feel to do the same a Martin, next time I am served a similar docket. We can make a difference if we look the issue ‘in the eye’ instead of looking away.

Great exposing Martin and I am sure you have only touched on the level of corruption that goes on. Whilst everyone has choice as to whether or not they drink alcohol, once again we see the irresponsibility of making money at the expense of peoples wellbeing.

I cringe when I read those numbers. I really have to focus not to quickly over-read them: “oh yeah, more numbers, we know they are high anyway, another statistic, possibly corrupted and not precise anyway…” all those thoughts kicking in to save me from those pictures that you describe so sharply, Martin, and that are needed to be seen. Thanks for taking us there.

I have seen the extreme end of what alcohol intoxication can do and it isn’t pretty at all. Witnessing the end result of a friend almost bashed to death by her boyfriend after a jealous rage fueled by alcohol really opened my eyes to the harm that alcohol brings to our community.

This approach to alcohol will be a bit of a quantum leap for many. I know when I used to drink alcohol that I would look at it as, well I don’t do anyone any harm when I drink so its all ok. Yet I knew it as harming my body and I know now that I was feeding an industry that cares not at all for the wellbeing of people, and that many people are affected deeply by alcohol, including lots of very young children, either first hand or through violence and abuse from family members. Alcohol is so socially accepted and any attempts to regulate and reduce its negative impact, much like so many of the things that are ruining our health, are always fought of with lobbying and dare I say it, a large hint of corruption and self interest. If there’s money to be made then health and wellbeing will always be put 2nd. Thanks Martin Gladman and Emilia Pettinato for going there and making this public.

It’s a knock out article and no mistake but like all these facts and figures that get pumped out about illness and disease having read them we choose to dismiss them from our minds and go on to the next thing and before we know it we have forgotten the impact that in this case alcohol has on millions of families not just in Australia but world wide. So my question is why do we switch off, we must switch off because if we felt the full impact of what has been written here we would never drink again.

This is a brilliant article Martin, calling for more responsibility in connection to alcohol. Australia is not isolated in this problem; taking Britain alone who has equally devastating affects with this problem, it is a worldwide issue. The question needs to be asked what is driving western cultures to excessive drink… how are we living our lives that people need alcohol to seemingly get by, but in fact exacerbate violence and trauma in their lives?

Powerful blog Martin, you get straight to the point with alcohol. It is no different to using drugs and contributing to or supporting the illegal trafficking of drugs which brings harm and abuse to so many through substance use and the trafficking itself. We know this is the case and can accept that but because alcohol comes with ‘it’s socially acceptable’ and legal we find what you offer a much harder pill to swallow.

What a ‘ripper of a blog’ Martin and brilliant way to bring something to public attention by contacting a company via Twitter on the internet for all to see! Social Media sites may get used to bring deeper awareness rather than cyber bullying being the norm.

I grew up with alcohol being drunk every night and then this continued in my marriage. To see how quickly a person can change from being a loving understanding caring person to an argumentative antagonistic person was often hard to accept, it would be very confusing and demoralising. What you write Martin is powerful and needs to be said, alcohol changes people and there are many people around the world both adults and children that are suffering at the hands of alcohol.
Supermarkets do need to be more responsible than they are when it comes to cigarettes, so why not alcohol. Cigarettes are never discounted and in the UK, have to be kept behind closed doors, and there is a warning on the packet ..cigarettes can kill….so why not for alcohol? We as a society need to wake up to the fact that alcohol is a poison like cigarettes and affects millions of people. Until we are willing to let go of our comfort around the numbing affects of alcohol, the statistics you mention Martin are only going to rise

Although an ‘official step’ has been taken to limit the harm of cigarettes by selling them at full price and keeping them behind closed doors, this has not had the desired outcome to stop people from either buying them or to smoke less. During prohibition 1920 to 1933, alcohol was banned but simply went underground. Solutions are not true answers. What needs to be addressed are the root causes of why we ‘need’ any harming substances to the body in the first place.
Could it be that rather than face the pain of our deep separation from God, it is easier to hide in our hurts, giving licence to living with irresponsibility, separation, loneliness and knowing our worth only from external sources? This was certainly true in my own experience and only since being inspired by Serge Benhayon’s presentations has it been possible to address the deep hurts and heal them. With self loving and responsible choices I have been able to let go of being so self abusive.

Absolutely, a vital part of being responsible is that we reflect on what it is we are buying into…”Then take a look at your purchase and think for a moment, what exactly is it that I am buying into? ” This is deeply significant concerning alcohol, it is a poison that is damaging to the individual, even when consumed in what is called ‘moderation’ and it creates much abuse and harm to others through it’s use.

I agree Samantha – and in looking deeply at ‘what we are buying into’ we can ask where we are colluding to keep what is actually not normal – ‘normal’ by turning a blind eye or not taking any notice of the finer details as Martin has here. Many organisations feel they have social responsibility and are trading ethically and morally – but I would question where the boundaries are with this – as they seem to stretch to what nowadays feels like a lack of social responsibility as Martin has outlined here.

The illusion of ‘thinking’ we enjoy alcohol is key here – it is an accepted part of a so-called-normal -way-of-iving as the majority of people do it. Our body certainly does not enjoy us drinking alcohol – hangovers, headaches and feeling completely zapped or in a mental fog is the body’s way of saying very loudly and clearly “No, don’t do this, it is harming” and yet we can continue to override these communications and harm ourselves and others.
What a mess living in this consciousness has led us to – so far away from our true, natural and joyful way.

great blog Martin, just saying as it is. Confronting us with the hard truth that all account to when we don’t speak up about these practices. That just add to all the statistics you bring up, alcohol is a substance that brings so much misery with it, that it is actually incredible that it is allowed in the first place, and when thats too big of a step, at least ban the advertising of the substance.

i grow up with alcohol consumption happening around me, and I have a prevailing memory of the adults around me disappearing, as in their eyes where not theirs any more. It is disturbing for a child to feel abandoned in terms of connection. I have chosen not to drink for myself, for my children and for society. There is a bigger picture involved here rather than it being about a simple sip of something we enjoy or think we deserve.

In many supermarkets the alcohol aisles are much bigger than the fruit and veg aisles combined. Thanks for exposing the bigger picture on alcohol Marin. The statistics are shocking and if we multiply them world wide, they would be even harder to comprehend. So much death pain and misery caused by this legal drug. We all need to look at the way we live including what we eat and drink and ask ourselves why we do things to ourselves that harm.

I agree Debra – in itself this supermarket shelf observation is quite shocking. Walking slowly around an unfamiliar supermarket a few days ago to discover where items were located, the first thing that struck me was the massive and disproportionate amount of shelf space given purely to alcohol, followed as a very close second, by shelves of sweets, chocolate and biscuits. It is like seeing everything available ready and waiting to support a highly addictive ‘accepted normal’ way of living which is totally harming and abusive (as shown by the statistics Martin has shared) along with the sugar factor causing multiple serious health issues and morbid obesity.
Supermarket shopping can be like going out on a suicide mission!

Thank you Martin for your commitment to expose what is going on in Australia with alcohol. The statistics are shocking and are not just numbers. They are individuals with families, living in communities, within countries, within continents, within the world. We are all affected, each one of us and we each have a responsibility to look at the part we play. Holding back is not an option.

Yes, Martin presents statistics in a way that it is difficult to brush over them. While we need the honesty of the big numbers, and they can surprise us, a defeatist attitude can also quickly set in. Understanding what a statistic means for just one person or a few people is very powerful.

Love it Vanessa! Change is possible as more people refuse to keep quiet any longer and firmly stand up for truth and also say ‘Yes, I can”.
What an inspiration this blog and all the comments are – Like a tidal wave of change gathering true power from the momentum of truth and sweeping through humanity.

Martin you really highlight what is going on in the world and the Violence and abuse from Alcohol figures are shocking and the world continues to promote it as it is seen as normal . What a shocking state we live in and promote freely as you share the corruption that goes on also and the far cry this is from who we really are. The real abuse in our lives as humanity is enormous and only through true loving ways by each or us taking responsibility for ourselves and hence the reflection for others can this be changed.

When I was younger and started drinking at 15/16 I used to like the feeling of spinning out, I would sit in our rocking chair and rock with my eyes closed so I would feel the full effects of the alcohol. About 2 years ago I had brunch with a friend who was having a bloody mary and I asked for the non alcoholic version, I had one sip and it had vodka in it. Just one zip I felt the effects of speaking more quickly and then when I went to the toilet I had to sit and wait for a toilet to become free and I saw the tiles slightly swerving, which reminded me of what I used to do with the spinning and how I had loved it, this time I hated it, and it was horrible. The difference is that I now am connected to myself and love that connection when I was young I had given up on that so any substitute was fun. The more we connect the less we want the numbing and awful affects on our bodies alcohol has. There is no denying its ill effects.

Vanessa, your experience points to the reason why everyone drinks alcohol- it’s a symptom of having already given up and lost connection with ourselves. As you found, when we are connected to start with, then the ill effects of alcohol are easy to detect. We are happy to say the alcoholic drinks because they are down and out, sometimes we are prepared to say the glass of wine at dinner or cocktail at brunch is to take the edge off but never will we admit the underlying and deepest reason anyone drinks is the same.

A very strong and powerful article Martin. I couldn’t read it without feeling very aware of the part that I have played in allowing alcohol to be an accepted part of this world. I used to drink every day and was convinced I could handle it and that it didn’t change me. My kids have long since disabused me of that particular illusion. They told me that it made me a different person and one they didn’t want to be around. I had no idea that they felt like this until years after I gave up alcohol. I thought I enjoyed alcohol, but it always made me feel lousy, so how could I have been enjoying something that made me feel in a word ill? What I am trying to explain is that alcohol has the power to fool us completely and by giving our power to it because we want to numb out and not feel, we embrace a host of untruths as being true.

A great turnaround in your way of living Doug and great awareness of the numbing effects of alcohol. But, haven’t we all all (humanity) been totally fooled by a great and grand illusion? An illusion that constantly perpetuates life to be seen as normal– by living in separation, fear, greed, individualism, dog-eat-dog, aggressive, self protective, doing good and being nice, high achievement, external recognition and reward (the list is endless) . All is pure poison and completely the opposite way of our true way of living in alignment with natural universal cycles and order we are part of.
As we address this, there will be no need for substances to continually numb out from

I have seen a little child cringe and shrink to the corner shaking in fear when her dad grabs a beer. She lives with the nightmare of a gentle dad she loves so much abuse himself with alcohol and turn into an aggressive monster. In order not to feel the devastation alcohol causes families its consumption is justified by a whole host of distortions and untruths.

The cost to the community is huge and financially all of the costs associated with drinking alcohol – police, health, social services etc are almost double that which the government makes in taxes on alcohol. Even from this perspective this is not being looked upon responsibly. We simply cannot afford to keep living in this way.

When I was in the culture of alcohol, someone close to me was seriously affected by drinking it and at the time I suggested that to support this person, we could all give it up. I was howled down. The reason given was that this person had to learn to give it up on their own…it was their problem and theirs alone.
I did not give it up then either.
Now I am out of the culture of alcohol. I still feel that to truly support the people affected…and we are all affected, we need to not drink it at all. We are all in it together and the harm that alcohol brings to our community is just not worth it. Now I feel that we each have a choice and I would not tell another person what to do so I would say this…I feel from my own experience that when you are in a culture or a religion you are getting all of it, there is no choosing just a bit of it and leaving the bits you don’t like, you get it all. So when you have a drink, you are connected to all the drinkers…merry and violent. The choice is there. It’s not comfortable but the facts of the damage are stark.

Martin great that you have raised this. I have never understood why as a society and culture we promote, advertise and champion a substance that is labeled a poison in science labs, alters people’s chemistry and makes them prone to violence and aggression. Really? What are we so invested in that we are stubbornly so blind to seeing the irresponsibility and damage alcohol causes?

Michelle the fact is if its promoted, condoned and accepted then everyone thinks its ok, safe and something that can be done. The fact alcohol costs billions of pounds in the UK alone, is a part of the majority of domestic violence cases and has a significant increase in individuals developing cancer seems currently unimportant. There is no doubt that one day companies who promote such offers will be taken to court for the damage they have caused. It’s time to at least be honest with the damage it causes and not make alcohol so accessible.

Thank you Martin Gladman. I was struck by the level of responsibility you have taken by putting your observations and care for humanity into action as you have. It is a reflection for me and for us all. When we bring this level of care for our brothers and sisters into our awareness, we begin to support others to feel their worth and eventually to feel the poison that alcohol and other such substances truly are.

Well said Bernadette, I agree, this whole article is summed up in one word; responsibility, and is a super reflection for us all that we do have a voice and it is powerful when we make it about people and that we are all in this mess together.

Well expressed Bernadette. Living as self-serving individuals and not wanting to see the detrimental effects it has on the whole, there is no awareness of care for our brothers and sisters. Bringing responsibility to our way of living is key in the way forwards to true brotherhood.
“When we bring this level of care for our brothers and sisters into our awareness, we begin to support others to feel their worth and eventually to feel the poison that alcohol and other such substances truly are”.

It just proves what a meaningless statement “responsible service of alcohol” is.
How we twist and turn harmful and destructive items to suit our own outcomes.
If we weren’t so intent to use substances to check out we might have the courage to be honest about what is happening and who is being hurt in the process to meet our own desires.

We are as a society living as if our actions are separate to other people lives and don’t affect them. We act as if we live in compartments and that whatever choice we make doesn’t affect others. The truth is everything we do affects everybody else in some way. We turn a blind eye to the true effects of our choices if it might inconvenience our comforts in life or affect our security. Quite simply we have stopped caring about other human beings.

Yes, agreed Melinda and Emily. What stands out from your comments is how deeply ingrained our attachment to COMFORT, SECURITY and IRRESPONSIBILITY is and how totally harming this is. As ‘Everything is energy and all is because of energy’ (Serge Benhayon) even the smallest thing affects the whole. The complete antithesis to naturally living ‘Heavens Way’ as reflected by Serge Benhayon and his family.

Alcohol harms every cell in the body. There is no question that it has caused much damage to our bodies, our relationships and is fooling people about what a good time is. A lot of people will say they drink occasionally and it isn’t harming them, when in fact they are missing out on true vitality because of the nature of Alcohol and how the body has to process it.

Great comment Harrison, we have convinced ourselves that ‘a little won’t hurt’ or ‘responsible drinking is fine.’ We fool ourselves with our excuses but we know the consequences too but we just don’t want to see it for what it is.

Not only every cell of our bodies, but the cells of everyone else’s bodies we come into contact with after we have drunk alcohol. This article really highlights the mass destruction the consumption of this product causes.

If we run a business that makes large amounts of money from the sales of alcohol, just how clear is our judgement likely to be about truly selling alcohol responsibly? If we consume and subscribe to the ‘benefits’ alcohol personally gives us, will we be frank about alcohol’s true effect? If we live in a world where this poison is normal, just what is going on with us as you show Martin, when we get up and live another day without questioning and raising this situation to be seen? Who is it that is drunk and dangerous really? It seems the damage is by no means limited to those that purchase the bottle.

Is it possible that we (humanity) are so ingrained in an illusory way of living that we are programmed to not want to ask the discerning questions, so as to avoid receiving true answers? True answers would change our perceptions of everything we ‘think’ and hold dear, which is defended as being valid and real. For example, viewing things from a different angle we would immediately sense the harm and damage perpetuated by purchasing even a bottle of alcohol.

Alcohol and the harm it brings, from the choices we make has impacted my family and whilst it is accepted in society and not fully seen for the harm it truly brings there is no move to acknowledge this harm. Well written Martin, your article exposes in full the true harm to society and the true affect to people.

Martin thank you for highlighting this issue. I too have been feeling disturbed by the alcohol discounts at the end of every Coles Shop-a docket and feeling how much it encourages the purchase of alcohol which is conveniently located in the same location. About a decade ago I was in the habit of buying a wine and I recall using the shop a dockets and it certainly kept the idea of alcohol purchase in the foremost of my mind. It is far from innocent advertising.

Yes it is outrageous that discounted alcohol is promoted in society given the horrendous statistics. At what point will we mature as a society and say enough is enough, let’s be responsible by completely ceasing alcohol intake?

Wow Martin Gladman​ – well said. Responsibility goes far beyond a single choice we make in our day – there is always a ripple effect. Bystanding also goes far beyond what the eye can see – when we see in our lives that something doesnt make sense yet we turn a blind eye or dont speak up. I love how in this article Martin speaks up, and shares his concerns. I also love the responsibility taken to look up the statistics on alcohol and to find the truth of the matter. Alcohol has a ripple effect that effects us all.

Initially the statistics wash over you, as they always do. Big numbers on a page that can be easily ignored because we always do… but the way you have then presented a very human face to this brings the truth crashing home. Its a masterpiece Martin, in getting us to really understand the devastating consequences of alcohol abuse.

It amazes me sometimes that alcohol has remained a freely available, and promotable product. I was watching a video that showcased the effects of 10 popular drugs in the UK, including all the horrors of heroin, cocaine and their derivatives and affiliates. But the extraordinary thing is that they kill only a few people a year, while alcohol (and cigarettes as well) kill HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS. Its an order of magnitude that just makes no sense.
However, its interesting that Woolworths was exposed as leaning heavily on the government when it came to regulating it – the margins are good, and the market enormous!

The list of the ten most popular drugs used in the UK are things you can hide your use from others until the hooks of the addiction take hold. The evilest substance that you can’t hide that you use that is not on the list but should be could kill more than all the others combined every year and cost millions in health care… sugar? The next can of worms has been open and defiantly will not fit back in the can.

Simon that is astonishing. The legal drug Alcohol kills hundreds of thousands of people a year, and is far more than what I thought would be the damage from more ‘hard’ drugs like heroin and cocaine. This should be in the news!

Thank you Martin. This is the level of responsibility that humanity needs to start going to. The consumption of a susbstance that is at the centre of so much abuse and harm within families is the same substance being discounted and promoted by supermarkets…that doesn’t make any sense. What next, discounted drugs because some people only used them ‘recreationally’ whilst other ruin theirs and other people’s lives through excessive use?

The responsible serving of alcohol is a term that’s been used to attempt to control the waves of alcohol-fuelled violent brawls and attacks in major cities in the early hours of the morning when people pile out of pubs and nightclubs. Governments have put all kinds of ‘rules’ in place in an attempt to control this but it isn’t dealing with the real problem – alcohol. Putting controls around nightclub opening hours and other such rules is like putting a bandaid over a pus-filled infection and expecting it to go away.

There is no such thing as ‘responsible serving of alcohol’ especially when it is fully known and understood, by virtue of using the word ‘responsible’ in that phrase, that it is completely irresponsible.

I work in a supermarket in the UK and am continually astonished at the amount people will spend on alcohol and how much they skimp on healthy food. And the space taken up in shops by alcohol displays is testament to that. It’s a big earner. One day no businesses will make profits from selling poisonous substances to the general public but that is a long way off.

Wow Carmel that blows me away. To think that this is so normal, that people spend so much money on alcohol, which is non essential for us and skip out on the healthy foods which ARE essential just doesn’t make sense. This is anti-evolution.

This is a great question to ask ourselves Martin; “what am I buying into?”
From the first sip of alcohol: I care less about my posture,
I care less about myself.
I care less about what I say
I care less about those around me
I care less about those I say I love dearly
I care less about what I eat
I know it is damaging my body but if I have another one I won’t care about that either. My perception of reality is altered, I entertain thought that I am lesser than others, or superior. Alcohol helps me blame others for my woes.I need my friends to also enjoin me, and if they don’t I quickly find company that is okay with me being loud and offensive. When we drink for the purpose of avoiding responsibility how can we have ‘responsible service of alcohol’?
These statistics show the ugly side of alcohol that we have all seen personally. We know where that road goes, why is it ok to go a little down that road where we know there is so much darkness and evil.

great comment Bernard, if we really observed what happens when we drink alcohol the results speak for themselves. If we are buying – less care, less health, a hangover, less awareness of reality and behaviours which are unhealthy for our body, then what a waste of money.

This is huge –”Within ten years there was 62 per cent increase in the rate of alcohol-related deaths and diseases in Australia.”. Surely we have to start looking at what drives us to drink alcohol in the first place? What is going on in our lives that we need alcohol to get by?

Absolutely Elizabeth, if life is as good as a lot of people make out why is there such a high consumption of this substance. Since being involved with Universal medicine I have been to many functions presentations and celebrations where alcohol wasn’t present and everyone still has a wonderful time and the bonus is you get to remember it all as well.

What an exposing blog Martin! In Australia there appears to be this blind determination to condone use of alcohol use, regardless of the costs. Those who speak up about its harm are being shut down. Apart from those you have mentioned above, I would like to add all emergency service workers and medical staff in hospitals who are daily faced with the impacts of alcohol fueled behaviours. Then there is the cost to tax payers in multiple ways. In fact the damage and costs of alcohol use are huge and simply unacceptable but as you point out, we have created this situation and it is only us who can change it.

“We have much to consider when we it comes to understanding what true responsibility is.” Very true Martin. Not many people look at everything that comes with a substance they are consuming and help feeding. It seems easy to say, ” Well I’m not doing that so I’m not contributing to it.” But by consuming it you make it okay for others to consume it also, abuse and all. The same can be said with porn. There is so much abuse within the porn industry, when you consume it, you are saying yes to all that happened and all that it comes with. You are helping to continue the cycle and feed what ever comes with it.

With all that alcohol related domestic violence, it’s a wonder the new government campaign against domestic violence does not target this also. Calling everyone to responsibility, stopping the abuse where it starts and ending alcohol related violence by stopping the consumption of alcohol. It’s a poison anyway so stopping it would help health bills. But no, everyone would like their escape somehow and they aren’t the ones that are physically abusing. Yet the guy behind you buying the exact same bottle is. There is so much more that comes with drinking that we need to start understanding and taking responsibility for as a whole world; otherwise, the statistics just keep rising.

This is so true Emily, ‘There is so much more that comes with drinking that we need to start understanding and taking responsibility for’, there are so many people reliant on alcohol, using it to numb or escape, but what I also notice even when there is a concern expressed that someone is drinking a lot of alcohol is that there are always people there saying, ‘its ok, everyone drinks’, and ‘how much do they drink’, this always seems to make the person concerned think they are being silly for expressing concern and makes a certain level of alcohol acceptable – this level seems to be very high before anyone really takes notice and says that there is a problem.

Thanks for the wake up call Martin. Alcohol is such a grossly accepted norm and goes hand in hand with so many things, like celebrations, holidays, dinner parties, feeling lonely, not wanting to feel and being in a routine of checking out to take the edge off a day at work. I find it interesting that alcohol is accepted in both extremes, to celebrate and to abuse – to me this proves the fact that alcohol is totally harmful and is bastardising our sense of true celebration of ourselves and each other. How can we actually celebrate with something in our hand that is contributing to so much abuse and horrific activity on earth? It’s really twisted!

Even though this is already an amazing and straight up conversation on the responsibility of drinking and that there is really no such thing until we come to terms with its’ effects in full, we could take it a step further in saying that ANYTHING we choose that is born from comfort, distraction or escape from who we are is actually contributing and saying that the use of alcohol is OK.

With Coles actually having the balls to say something to you Martin and expose how they feel about ‘responsible consumption of alcohol’ they have just ticked a box but totally missed the point, but good on them for giving it a go! Like many ad campaigns from the governments and other alcohol merchants, they tick the ‘we know how to drink responsibly’ advertising the fact that drink driving is bad, to get a lift home and not to risk it; or by the effects of binge drinking on teenagers and to know when you’ve had enough. But it’s all missing a point, why are we drinking in the first place? And even if we are ‘drinking smartly’ we are still drinking and contributing to the nightmare of its effects. Like you’ve said Martin, we need to understand responsibility before we can claim that ‘we encourage responsible behavior’ with alcohol.

Whenever we find a new substance that affects the consciousness of people, especially if it works in lowering thresholds of self control we instantly put it among the list of prohibited substances. It is interesting that this is currently physically impossible to do with alcohol. Too many people have too much of a need for alcohol.

So true Christoph the connection people have to alcohol within our society is enormous, it is seen as a social lubricant, just a part of Australian life, but when you consider these statistics and the reality of the true harm alcohol does to so many, is it not truly irresponsible to turn our back to the fact that it is and should be a prohibited substance and not something sold at the supermarket or celebrated as a part of the Australian way.

Wow, we are very far from where we should be as a society aren’t we? The very fact that these large corporations ignore the truth is disturbing to say the least but a very clear indicator that we are part of something that does not truly care about us. It is time for us to stand up for what we know is true and stop blindly following these abusive practices.

What runs through us when we purchase and drink alcohol is pure poison. Not only after we have taken in the actual physical poison. If we get honest, already the thought to buy and drink poison is poisonous to our health. It is also poisonous to the 20000 abused Australian kids, poisonous to the 30000 beaten Australians in their domestic environment, poisonous to the 15 Australians who die every day from this poison and so on. We think it’s just a thought to buy a poisonous substance, but is it really? Or is allowing the thought already the overlooked poisonous harm that contributes to all following harm? And what has lead to us having such thoughts?

Awesome article Martin Gladman, and super informative in providing all the statistics around the ripple effect of purchasing and consuming alcohol. Blogs like yours are needed in order to raise awareness around the subject of alcohol and the total irresponsibility around the choice to drink. I was one of those children who grew up in a household with both parents drinking which I also shared and wrote about on this site, and provide the link below:http://everydaylivingness.com/drinking-alcohol-the-true-picture-the-true-damage

Great article Martin. “We cannot have ‘responsible service of alcohol’ until we start taking responsibility for all that actually comes with alcohol, and not many of us want to do this, we want to check out, forget about it and simply enjoy our drink. We have much to consider when we it comes to understanding what true responsibility is.” Like many things in life, we do not want to see the whole picture, for in doing that, the comfortable version that suits us, is pulled into question!

Alcohol related illness are a drain on our health services and responsible for so much abuse in peoples lives, yet supermarkets don’t take this into account when they promote alcohol. Profit seems to be more important than peoples health. I feel the more that people stand up as you have done Martin that eventually supermarkets may begin to take notice.

It does seem that profit is more important that people’s health. I find it bizarre that accident and emergency departments are packed with alcohol related incidents daily with a massive weekend increase and the long-term sickness that is connected to alcohol is catastrophic. I wonder if the government has done a study on the cost alcohol brings to our lives with illness, disease, violence and mental health problems, compared with the amount it earns in tax via sales? Surely the former would outstrip the latter by vast amounts?

This is a powerful point Rachel and Alison the cost to our health system and thereby our government must be huge, far greater than any potential profit, I would personally be very interested in seeing such a study done. I agree it is time for us as a humanity to see our part and stand up to such abuse, and very clearly see that we all have a responsibility to not allow our fellow man to continue to suffer an abuse that we have turned a blind eye to.

The unfortunate fact is that there are still many many people who drink alcohol and who will welcome the saving on buying it, therefore supermarkets are motivated to continue their promotions in this way. Whilst they should be brought to account and responsibility for their own ways of operating they are a symptom of an ill in our way of living. The majority of those drinking do not see the harm however they are entirely and fully a part of it, as are all those who don’t drink if they too choose to stay silent and dormant on the issues that they know to be affecting our society. Great to bring this to light Martin.

The responsibility we all have to not serve and consume alcohol is enormous and the only way forward is each one of us doing our bit as society and the world today is rife with it, and the effects as you say Martin are wider and more harmful than we can truly get our heads around. What is considered normal definitely is not. An amazing article calling for our awareness and change thank you.

Martin, I have worked in advertising and for many years I worked on alcohol campaigns with one of the largest suppliers of alcohol in the world. The laws around promoting and advertising drinking are strict, yes, but that only gives companies a challenge of how do they push the boundaries to get their message out there. So they will come up with anything they can, sponsorships, events, promotions and as you see here – advertising quite directly on a ‘harmless coupon’ – But the fact is we are doing the world no favours by sending out this message. I was involved in a promotional campaign for a brand, and as well as giving samples of the product, we were giving out glasses, t-shirts, whistles, cups, bandannas, key rings all promoting an alcohol brand. And a lot of these were met with comments from people about how they would give these items to their kids. So what message are we really sending out? That we are OK with where the world is at with its relationship with alcohol, that it is always the next persons responsibility to fix the problem?
I am out of that industry now, but it was quite shocking to see the amount of money that went into advertising alcohol in a way that was very enticing.

Hannah, thanks for sharing your experience of alcohol promotion through advertising.
Billions of dollars are spent on enticement in the alcohol industry.
If it was truly good for us it wouldn’t need enticements.

Thank you Martin, very sobering read, excuse the pun as nothing about alcohol related abuse is amusing in the slightest. The bottom line is everyone makes a huge amount of money from alcohol so they are willing to over look the ill effects and what is happening within our homes.

I love how you bring the whole picture Martin and expose the huge impact of alcohol. You do not for one moment let anyone believe that having a discount on alcohol is a good thing. Possibly a new and challenging notion for some, but an awareness that is much needed.

Although to date I’ve taken these ads at the bottom of shopper dockets for granted without giving them much attention, I can say now that I’ve definitely noticed marketing in this area increase over the years. I didn’t ever consider that there was anything I could do about this, but as you so clearly show here Martin, we can all do our part in speaking out about this and in exposing the irresponsibility of suppliers in promoting the consumption of alcohol to consumers, despite its known harm to individuals and our communities.

You have done some great work putting this blog together Martin. The statistics and consequences are brutal, no wonder your public conversation with Coles faded out, how can anyone argue or even try and debate their way out of the truth about alcohol.

Very true Mariette responsibility is for the evolution of humanity. Without this understanding and willingness we just keep perpetuating the same harm. How far are we prepared to go pretending we are getting away with our lack of responsibility for humanity. This expose on what would seem like a fairly benign advert on a docket is actually incredibly revealing when open to the responsibility of what is truly going on.

Absolutely Mariette and in this situation it is very clear that the whole and the impact upon the whole has not been considered instead what has been the focus has been the supermarkets ability to make a quick buck. True responsibility and accountability would have meant that this product would not have made its way onto their shelves let alone on the bottom of a shopper docket.

This blog takes responsibility to a whole new level with regards to alcohol, I used to think I was responsible because I didn’t drink but I brought alcohol for people. True responsibility is when we choose to live a life that does not contribute to abuse in anyway shape or form. This blog exposes the lies we tell ourselves.

WOW Martin, you have thrown a deep truth punch that many will find hard to take. But truth is hard to take when we hold our ‘precious, untruth’ so close. I loved reading your blog Martin, very raw with truth. Loved it.

There is a huge issue being raised here about what responsibility means, how the word is used – such as the way Coles uses it, really in a very cliche’d way, assuming that if you drop the word, then people will believe it is safe and ok. Yet the statistics in this blog definitely are evidence that alcohol is ok. How long are people going to excuse this substance as ok? How long are children going to be harmed before we on mass realise that we are not meant to drink a substance that is poisonous to our bodies?

Those statistics on alcohol and the impacts on Australians health, well-being and safety are shocking. To further advertise that on a shopping docking is just how far we allow the further cementing of abuse we allow in our society. We all have a responsibility to not allow this to further continue and prevent this occurring to our families and friends. I do not choose to poison myself and my relationships by consuming alcohol no more. It was one of the main things that caused my lack of control in my life.

I love this – “By the very nature of us contributing our money to this product we are supporting it and saying ‘yes’ to it in full, to everything that that product brings and represents, and so, as we can see by the many harms caused by alcohol, we are saying yes to some very dark and disturbing things.” Its a wonder why when you buy this product that there is always an incident be it minor or not, if we are aware or not, or even just use to it, disturbs your life from moving forward. There is no love in alcohol and no love in your body or relationships if you choose to consume it. Most of us will deny this truth.

“There is no love in alcohol and no love in your body or relationships if you choose to consume it. Most of us will deny this truth.” Rik this is powerfully put and should be quoted on all bottles of alcohol!

I so agree Rik: “There is no love in alcohol and no love in your body or relationships if you choose to consume it. Most of us will deny this truth.” So we have to keep bringing it out there time and again – people will do what they do, however if the info keeps coming just like it did with cigarettes, maybe something will start to shift eventually ….

Martin as with so many areas of life when you take a true look at what is going on, it does not make sense. If you replace the world “alcohol” with “poison” it makes no sense that you can responsibly sell poison! Many people turn to different substances to escape from life, I certainly did that and still do with certain items today. On that side I fully appreciate we each have our own responsibility, but if someone has an alcohol problem (over 35% of those who drink alcohol in the UK and consider themselves ok should be seeking emergency medical care) then offering cheap alcohol – sometimes cheaper than water, must surely encourage that person to continue their abuse behaviour? As a community I feel it would be wise to make it harder for people to abuse themselves not easier?

A very probing article Martin Gladman, and one I am sure will be looked back upon in ages that come to be. And as you allude to, for a product to be successful it must have a seller and a buyer. Take one out of the equation and you have no product.

Yes the power we have as consumers is huge if we choose to use it. Thank you Martin for calling out our collective responsibility for the current state of affairs. The statistics are staggering and so often people shrug their shoulders and feel that it doesn’t relate to them directly – until it does. We are all affected by the harm of alcohol but we all have the power to change our behaviour and reflect that out to others – let’s be the change we want to see.

It shows the lack of care and integrity of what we are promoting but instead something that is done for the sake of it with no consideration or awareness of the bigger picture. It is times like these we need to be reminded of statistics .. which are people, not conveniently forget about them.

Absolutely, these statistics are people not just numbers, when we de-humanise people, abuse is then present. I also am aware that when companies/manufacturers produce products purely for profit and not about people it often can be very harmful for us because we buy, used, consume something that does not truly support us.

Super, super powerful reading Martin. What you share exposes the big lie so many of us have bought into, the alcohol we as Australian’s have bought or buy has a knock on effect in that it encourages suppliers to continue to produce alcohol and supermarkets and other businesses to reduce the prices on alcohol, thereby making it more affordable and accessible leading to such abuses as you have described. When you consider the human cost of such accessibility of alcohol it truly stops you in your tracks and very clearly reveals the true responsibility we all have in saying that this is not okay.

I could feel more deeply how I have been completely irresponsible with drinking my daily glass of wine during dinner time with my kids and a couple of glasses more when we had a dinner party. And there are other periods in my life where I have been abusive with alcohol. As you are pointing out with drinking it is not only the irresponsibility of that moment and the days after but also that we are adding to the abuse alcohol is causing on so many levels. So thank you Martin for this great article, it is very needed we start to truly see what is going on and take our responsibility for all that comes with alcohol but also in any other aspect of our lives when we do not want to feel we are an equal part of humanity.

Martin, this is a truly awesome blog which reveals very horrific statistics related to alcohol ingestion. What is wrong with us when we can normalise drinking a poison and not even question it. Please share this blog more widely as I feel its’ message needs to be spread much much further afield.

I absolutely agree Anne. It really highlights how crazy society has become when you present it like this. I love your comment, it is our responsibility to bring awareness to people and it is then up to each individual to choose to be responsible or irresponsible. But with awareness we can then make wiser and more loving choices.

The statistics and wider consequences of alcohol abuse that you share Martin are truly shocking. With the fact alcohol is socially accepted and is accepted in such a large percentage of the world they somehow seem unbelievable to accept but they are true. Therefore it seems mind-boggling that the promotion of alcohol continues so publically and can even be presented as being beneficial for health.

Huge article Martin – “We cannot have ‘responsible service of alcohol’ until we start taking responsibility for all that actually comes with alcohol” – we sometimes think we can do these things because is only effect us and “its our choice”, but as you lay out so clearly there are many unintended consequences that add up to some very irresponsible choices.

Beautifully said Joel. The consequences of alcohol, both the direct (liver disease for example) and indirect ones (street violence for example) are rarely sold to us. For some reason it is socially acceptable. Smoking has become the bad guy with the bad reputatation, whilst we let drinking become an everyday habit that is affecting hundreds of thousands, if not millions of people each day globally. It is time to stop and open our eyes to this blinkered way of living.

I agree the Australian population needs to be more responsible. Recently at an event for people who are undergoing cancer treatment and their families I was asked to bring some bottles of wine. I said I would not, as I feel wine is poisonous for the average person let alone some-one who has cancer so I explained why, however it was ignored what I said and it was organized for another member to bring some to the event.

Martin it’s great that you have spoken up. It’s like the expression count the pennies and before you know it the pounds will add up…with this its all the little ‘harmless’ messages that add up to one big message we are sending out, that this harmful substance is ok…when in truth we all know that it is not.

A society that sells checking out at at the check out and usually for a discounted price. Something ridiculously wrong with society when it promotes a way of living that create constant damaged on someones life and the many effected around them.

agree Kim Weston, what have the standards dropped too, or have they ever been great to begin with? We have had some amazing times in history, Ancient Egypt, the Renaissance and times with no war, but it hasn’t been consistently great. To see what is really going on now, would be eye opening, as this blog so greatly shares with us.

Beautifully said Kim, but the suppliers of the poisons are in the driver’s seat because people want the check out that they are offering and as such are prepared not to look too closely and the outplay in society of the poisons they hold dear.

Ours is a society that offers a host of goods to check out that do their job, and which also offers a host of goods to check in that do not truly do their job. The fake industry of checking in only feeds the successful industry of checking out.

I absolutely agree with you 100% Martin Gladman and how inspiring you are in writing this article. I have had those same feelings about shopper dockets and having worked for Coles for many years in the past, I shared this sentiment with many a customer in conversation. In fact, many people share your feelings on this, and yet we have not yet stood collectively and expressed this.

And what an incredible conversation you had on twitter. All 3 supermarkets need to be called to account with this. It is complete irresponsibility for anyone promote the consumption of a product that causes so much ill health, abuse and death in our society and this needs to be said so over and over until it is understood and the legislation changed.

Extrapolating a US study (Primary Care Intervention to Reduce Alcohol Misuse) to Australia, dealing with alcohol would save Australia about a million QALYs (Quality Adjusted Life Years, a more refined measure of years of life lost). The Australian health system is ready to pay $50,000 per QALY, so we allow $50 billion dollars of damage to happen because we don’t deal with alcohol.

The dishonesty around socially ‘accepted’ drugs such as alcohol, coffee and sugar is huge; we don’t seem to want to see what these products really do to us and our health and are only too happy to snatch a bargain in the race for the biggest discounts.

On the one hand, there is the willingness to not see what is there to be seen. On the other hand, there is the thankful gratitude by those that choose products to abuse themselves (and others) and their feeling of entitlement about it. This feeling is the second best for many people who have discarded empowering themselves.

When we drink a liquid that is poisonous to our bodies, we attempt to swallow up the hurts that led us to drink that poison in the first place. A honest acknowledge of what is behind drinking and a willingness to heal what is there to be healed is necessary to leave this place of (self-) abuse behind for good.

Wow Martin, a powerful, powerful blog that is very much needed. What you present I feel we all really need to hear to fully understand the impact and start paying attention. In the past I used to buy alcohol as presents not realising I was actually energetically contributing to the harmful effects of alcohol. I didn’t drink it myself but I felt it was Ok at the time to buy it for people who did but a few years ago I realised that this was very irresponsible. I stopped doing this once I realised, if I wouldn’t drink alcohol myself because I knew it was poisonous then why would I buy it for someone else? Crazy! Poison is poison even if it comes nicely wrapped up as gifts the harmful effects does not change. I started to take responsibility once I realised what I was contributing to.

Your blog is indeed very confronting – and in saying that I feel it is positively confronting as we all need to look into our hearts and see how we are living and whether we are taking full responsibility for how we behave and act throughout our day. I am quickly becoming aware of how much I can add to the state of the world by each time I make any movement or expression that is not supporting of another and those around me. Thank you for your amazing honesty and insight, Martin and for sharing your honesty and integrity with us all.

To me the alcohol industry is no different to the sugar industry. It has a huge amount of cash behind it, meaning they have the power to spend big on direct to consumer advertising.
These industries are powered with money, which is a real shame to think that this is what makes them so apparent. Sugar and alcohol are comforts that are harming us, and yet we do not want to let go of the ‘everything in moderation’ slogan and how they can both be OK in small amounts. But to allow a little is to allow a lot – and it seems we are not ready to really see the ills these substances are causing.

The saddest thing about people drinking alcohol is the feeling that they are in control since they get to choose what type of alcohol to drink, what brand and when to drink. Sadly enough, they are totally governed for what they need alcohol doing for them.

What a fantastic expose on alcohol and the terrifying statistics that we have because of it. It is a massive disgrace that discounted alcohol is allowed to be advertised in this way. There clearly is not one benefit to drinking any amount of alcohol.

As a race, we have a long way to go to get to the day that every person will agree on what is poison for us and what truly supports us. Because of our choices, our bodies are way too polluted to have a true feeling of what is true and what is false. This is the background on which those that promote poison ride on. There is a contract on pollution: on the one hand, polluted bodies open to further pollution and those that offer means to further pollute those open to keep polluting themselves.

We live in a world driven by money, self interest and staggering greed. I always find it a bit ridiculous that we don’t make the link between our promotion of activities we know do not support health, and our increase in ill health and disease. It is like running a lung cancer charity event and then having the event sponsored by tobacco companies. That is an extreme example but basically what is happening on a large scale. We embrace the battle against illness and disease but have been slower to embrace the concept of self care and high self regard to proactively reduce our risk of ill health.

‘I always find it a bit ridiculous that we don’t make the link between our promotion of activities we know do not support health, and our increase in ill health and disease.’ – Stephen this line alone exposes the ridiculousness and how much we do not look at the common sense bigger picture as a one humanity. This is what you get when there are so many silo factions only interested in looking after themselves. For me this is another wake-up call of how important it is to make common sense decisions that serve the all, rather than line the pockets of a few.

We live in a world driven by money, self interest and staggering greed. I always find it a bit ridiculous that we don’t make the link between our promotion of activities we know do not support health, and our increase in ill health and disease. It is like running a lung cancer charity event and then having the event sponsored by tobacco companies. That is an extreme example but basically what is happening on a large scale. We embrace the battle against illness and disease but have been slower to embrace the concept of self care and high self regard to proactively reduce our risk of ill health.

You have raised an interesting point here, Eduardo. Alcohol is an industry that profits from people consuming a mind altering substance that harms the body and leads to varying levels of violence and abuse. It is an industry that profits from harm to the consumer and those around them. . . But this isn’t seen as the big deal that it should be and why not? Because we as a society have allowed this same market of profiting from products knowingly doing harm in other areas. Why would alcohol be checked when people are also able to purchase cigarettes, violent video games, pornography and weapons all of which are readily available in first world countries.

We have industries profiting from the sale of products known to do harm to their consumers because we have allowed it because while we don’t like the social ramifications we don’t want to be accountable for or part with our own poisons.

The idea of ‘responsible drinking’ may sell well in face of public relations. Yet, is it such a thing? This notion talks to extreme cases that of course have to be curved as much as possible. Yet, what about the whole series of terrible consequences related to alcohol? They invite the question of whether is it responsible to have alcohol at all

This is a good question to pose Eduardo. Can such a thing as ‘responsible’ drinking exist? I am sure many would argue that one drink won’t hurt you, but having experienced growing up pretty much teetotal by taking ONE sip of alcohol I could feel my body change in an instant. So what does a whole pint or unit do? I also wonder that even for those who might justify the argument of only drinking a little, surely by consuming alcohol they are propping up an industry that is abused by a large amount of the population who become violent, or ill through excessive drinking, this cannot be taking responsibility on any front.

In the same way this a food chain, supermarkets chains, etc. there are abuse chains. All and everyone that is part of it holds responsible to its damage it produces even if the damage does not affect to all of them necessarily.

Martin, you’ve taken the cap off the corruption that is a behind the peddling of this destructive drug. its really disgusting to see that these multi-billion corporations are covering their backsides from taking any responsibility by stating that they encourage their customers to make responsible decisions.

Back in 1976 in Australia tobacco advertising was banned, but today alcohol lives on even to the point where sporting matches and teams are supported by the alcohol companies with the acceptance that its something thats its ok if ‘enjoyed in moderation’. This ‘enjoyed in moderation’ on alcohol labels is seen as an acceptable warning while the abuse of partners, children, goes on. The alcohol related violence continues along with road deaths and self abuse.

I know Chris, it sure is crazy. It’s like saying that it’s ok to hit your child just a little bit. Said that way we can perhaps consider the grand illusion we are in and held by when we say that drinking is ok ‘in moderation’.

It blows my mind that elite sport teams allow sponsorship from alcohol when we consider the level of abuse that goes on at public events. The fact that they allow alcohol at these supposed family friendly events is crazy as it is, let alone supporting it further.

Now that’s a great point Chris, if the statistics for alcohol are to be taken as seriously as was the statistics for tobacco smoking, it’s possible we can bring the same awareness to the sales of alcohol that Martin has highlighted and start a movement to reveal the real facts, and stop hiding behind its ok in moderation tag that justifies it’s normalisation.

Responsible drinking is really not that responsible when we consider that what is put into the body is absolute poison, with one drink being too many. The very act of buying alcohol connects us to the energy of abuse, from the taking of one drink to the violence, rape, murder, suicide and the devastation caused to the lives of children, drinkers and non drinkers alike. There should be a slogan “One drink is one too many”

Those statistics are huge, …”Every single day 430 Australians are hospitalised due to alcohol related harm…” this one alone is staggering, one day, multiply that by 365… choices to drink so much that it contributes to hospitalisation are choices that impact the whole community and health care system.

How many of us choose to be totally oblivious to the total devastation that alcohol causes worldwide,the statistics are blatantly obvious but as long as we are not being effected personally it’s perfectly ok to go on buying and selling this very harmful substance.

The drama of alcohol reveals the difficulty of human beings of accepting that there are issues that are of everybody’s concern since they affect the whole. The chain of impact of alcohol do not stop at the person choosing to drink.

So true Kevin, ‘the statistics are blatantly obvious but as long as we are not being effected personally it’s perfectly ok to go on buying and selling this very harmful substance.’, Absolutely Kevin, and the point is that it is a very harmful substance but one that seems to be completely socially acceptable, the health risks of smoking are known and talked about and published on the cigarette packets, but as of yet the harm of alcohol seems to be ignored and not talked about in the same way.

Martin, these statistics are shocking, they clearly show the harm that alcohol does to so many peoples lives, it is not the socially acceptable, fun drink that it is made out to be and the same with smoking it should not be promoted by the supermarkets in this way, its brilliant that you have spoken up about this as statistics such as these are rarely spoken and written about.

Thank you Martin for starting this hugely important conversation on a product that has become accepted in the world as normal to partake of, but in every single moment of every single day someone is being harmed; either the drinker, someone close to them and sometimes even a stranger, as in a vehicle accident. As you state so clearly, “We cannot have ‘responsible service of alcohol’ until we start taking responsibility for all that actually comes with alcohol, and not many of us want to do this, we want to check out, forget about it and simply enjoy our drink.”, meanwhile people are getting sick, abused and dying. We must have our heads very, very deeply buried in the sands of irresponsibility to ignore this horrendous situation that is shattering people’s lives all around the world.

This is a powerful blog which makes us question and look deeply at what we are doing when we consume alcohol and then further into looking at responsibility in every apsect of our lives. What are we really endorsing through our choices? what are we directly supporting? Humanising these statistics in this way makes them impossible to ignore and very much brought to life. This blog sets a marker for bringing the human reality to every statistic out there.

Martin, bravo for your meticulous disection of the irresponsibility surrounding the promotion, purchase and consumption of alcohol in our society – it is only through getting honest like this and not being afraid to say what’s really going on in the world that true change will come to be.

Wow, Martin, you are bringing it to the next level and I hung on every word. I stopped drinking as I saw the true damage that was being incurred. Working with teens, the stories I’d hear were extreme and I realised that alcohol abuse has been normalised and that the abuse of others in relation to it, was also considered normal, to be expected. Having three kids approaching teenhood, I felt it deeply when my son said to me, “I’m never going to drink….people change”. and I knew then, I couldn’t continue. It’s a responsibility we all have to be true in our choices, to not bring harm by them purchasing alcohol, the consumer is responsible for all the harm that then follows. It’s a huge thing to consider but only this level of responsibility will bring the next generations a truly better way of life.

The promotion of abuse rides on the arrogance of ‘I can get away with this’ by those that actually promote it, on the lack of self-worth and given up-ness of the people who do nothing about it and on the decision to numb themselves of already hurt people who join in the chain of abuse.

A very power-full article Martin about how we contribute to the bigger picture of abuse when we buy alcohol. It’s a huge subject on how responsibly drinking alcohol has become acceptable, because people want to stay numb to the thought that their actions can be causing such harm.

This is true Gill, and understandably so. Who wants to know that they are contributing to the alcohol related violence that is happening 24/7 around the world? No wants to be accountable so we turn a blind eye. Although, I’m pretty sure that’s not how change or evolution works. What are we gaining from consuming the very poison that is killing so many of us?

“We cannot have ‘responsible service of alcohol’ until we start taking responsibility for all that actually comes with alcohol, and not many of us want to do this, we want to check out, forget about it and simply enjoy our drink. We have much to consider when it comes to understanding what true responsibility is.” Thank you for sharing on this subject Martin and starting the discussion! There is a lot to consider closer.

Your words really shake and confront us and our attitude and what we do or not do in regards to alcohol and what effect drinking alcohol has for our society and especially our children. And it is inspiring as i feel there is no holding back in presenting the truth and what needs to be said. Thank you Martin!

When we drink alcohol we actually say yes to an energy which can come through alcohol in our body. And everybody who has drunk a lot knows we at some point are not ourselves anymore everybody has experienced that people can get out of control and do enormous harm.

In Holland the hospitals (doctors) are now saying that there are too many people in the emergency room during the weekend due to alcohol and that something needs to change. They want the government to set more rules around alcohol. It says a lot, now doesn’t it, that we need the government to interfere with the choices that we make ourselves…? We all know what alcohol does and the impact it has, we just don’t want to face it and be honest about it.

It does say a lot Mariette. We have lost so much of the care for ourselves and our fellow man, only focussing on what can make us feel better momentarily, that we need an authority to step in and enforce changes.

I agree this is the ultimate answer to the misuse of alcohol Nicola. However we need to address why we are drinking alcohol in the first place. It is no use banning a substance when we are living in a way where we need alcohol to get by. We each need to start being honest about what alcohol is doing for us and what hole within ourselves and our lives we are using it to fill. Then we can start to make changes to the way we live so these holes are filled by us, not a harmful substance like alcohol.

My husband and used to have a wonderful and expensive wine collection, a collection of superb Reidel glasses and several aged bottles of spirits including an Armagnac (brandy) produced the year of my husband’s birth. When we realised how harmful alcohol was and stopped drinking it, we had to throw away our expensive collection and smash all the glasses as we couldn’t sell or give to someone else what we had become aware was so harmful for us… and we were very “happy and funny” drunks!

I mentioned that we were “happy” drunks as the harm is of course not only about male physical violence. Many women also attack their partners and families, bodies get harmed and people lose themselves and get taken over by other energies. We have many expressions for this such as “you are not yourself today” and “what got into you” and so forth. You only have to look into the eyes of someone after a drink or see the complexion of their skin and where are they? Any amount of leaving ourselves is incredibly harmful added to which we are ingesting a known poison that is very damaging for our body and then to top it all we champion this as being a reward, good for us, something we all do etc etc. It is deeply harmful the height of irresponsibility to drink or promote alcohol.

I can totally relate Nicola to only relating to the happy and fun times of being drunk. Only when I started to feel into what it was doing to me and what I sought from drinking was I able to let it go.

I agree Jenny and yet even whilst I was enjoying the relief of being “happy” when drunk I could feel my body was not enjoying it. We choose to override our feelings and sell out to some kind of relief but that relief in itself is harmful. These days I have also become aware of how abusive and unpleasant happy is because happy is in fact an emotion and brings all that comes with emotions which eventually leave us exhausted. What we are truly seeking is Joy which is an entirely different state of being and a quality of the Soul. Unimedpedia provides more insights into Joy here: http://www.unimedliving.com/unimedpedia/word-index/unimedpedia-joy.html

This is a great article Martin, and has started a much-needed debate.
I am so glad that you posed the question “who is responsible?” I agree: “It would be very easy to point the finger at the supermarketers and liquor stores, but the real answer here is that we are responsible, the entire population”
While it is true that alcohol is a poison and not fit for human consumption and there is a whole industry enmeshed with our government, our society, and ourselves. If the government outlawed alcohol and made not available in our supermarkets we would still have the problems these staggering statistics show if people still choose to intoxicate themselves.
It will take a groundswell of people talking and sharing their experience of alcohol fueled abuse and illness in their family and community. The power of truth being shared is what will bring about change and this article with the following comments is a strong contribution.

I couldn’t agree more Martin. Very irresponsible indeed. But really it just comes down to money, and the greed that the companies have for their bottom line. Truth is that the Coles and Woolworths groups own many liquor stores, so it is in their financial interest to promote the products, even at the cost of health. You only need to look at a supermarket shelf to understand that people’s health is not their concern!

Totally Janine, if Coles and Woolworths really were looking after the health of our nation they would not be selling most of the products, so bottom line is the big supermarkets will do anything to make shopping more accessible and convenient so we fall into the temptations they have set ( Shopping dockets included) …. All in the name of profit

I agree with you Janine- it is very irresponsible to promote discounted liquor on the shopper dockets for Coles and Woolworth’s financial interest. If they were aware of the alarming statistics of how damaging alcohol is would they not have a social responsibility to do something about promoting alcohol?

Hard hitting but necessary Martin. Alcohol is an avenue through which great harm is done and we all need to wake up to this, even if we just have our few glasses here and there, we are saying yes to the consciousness, the energy of disregard, abuse and dulling ourselves to the awareness of all of this and more.

I too, have found it disturbing having the alcohol promotions now on the bottom of all of my shopping receipts and I have made a ritual of tearing them off and throwing them in the bin, keeping just the docket itself. I congratulate you for taking further action and research on this subject, publishing this blog for all of humanity to raise our awareness.

Yes to appreciating Martin’s action. Inspiring on two counts – a voice of reason offering a review and the opportunity to change, along with the harnessing of social media to express our deviation from common sense.

I have never liked alcohol and it was not difficult for me to give it away. It was harder to give away other foods and drinks that have a seemingly less innocuous effect but were also dulling of me accessing the awareness that we all have available to us, to live in true responsibility. We all fight this so hard.

Wowsers Martin – a hugely powerful article that I would hope you will approach other publications with!
Some very serious questions to ponder here. I can understand why so many would turn a blind eye when we consider how huge the responsibility is that we all share, not just a governing body. Are we prepared to make different choices for the sake of the broader picture or are we comfortable sitting back and watching the disaster further unfold?

Martin, I have often looked at my shop a docket ads and wondered if I could opt out of ‘discounted alcohol’, but then decided that I was one little voice and chose to ignore them. This powerful blog reminded me that keeping quiet is being complicit. Thank you for calling out and exposing this harmful ‘game’ with such clarity.

I agree Carmin. I have often looked at the part of the docket where I expect to find a petrol voucher and find a discounted alcohol voucher there instead. It is placed in this prime position deliberately and if the supermarket companies were honest, they would admit it is because alcohol is where big money can be made. This is sad in two ways, the greed at the expense of social responsibility and our addictive need to dull ourselves with alcohol in society these days.

Yes well said Fiona. Looking at it honestly reveals the true state of the world. It is ugly but yes, promoting alcohol is promoting everything that happens when people drink alcohol.
That this is just allowed and almost no-one is worried about it shows that we as a humanity have accepted a quality of life that is so much less than it can be. We can live with vitality, joy and harmony each day without the need for alcohol by loving and caring for ourselves. If we become aware of this we would never choose to drink alcohol, that is a poison, or allow it to be sold, let alone promoted like that anymore.

The question that needs to be asked is why is it that there are so many people who cannot seem to have fun or even to relax without the need for one or two glasses of an alcoholic drink? Why choose to be under the illusion that the more you drink the more fun it’s supposed to be, when in actual fact, later as so often is the case, comes the crash, the empty feeling, the hang over the next day or even feelings of regret of an embarrassing or abusive behaviour. By supermarkets giving a discount on alcohol to promote their sales they are also promoting irresponsible abusive behaviour. The supermarkets and also the public are putting their heads in the sand by willingly ignoring these statistics and the continuing resulting harmful evidence that occurs from drinking alcohol. And this is acceptable and classed as normal behaviour? It simply doesn’t make sense.

Wow, those are startling figures Martin… this is the kind of honesty and information that the media could be sharing with the world – an opportunity to bring an honest appraisal of how we are truly travelling as a society.

“We have much to consider when it comes to understanding what true responsibility is.” Indeed Martin… true responsibility starts with each one of us and the choices we make moment to moment – are they lovingly supportive or abusive, and how honest are we prepared to be with ourselves?

Responsible drinking of alcohol is quite a juxtaposition, when we are all aware of the poisonous nature alcohol has on our body’s cellular tissues, its effects to our mental cognition, behaviour, health, and degradation of social welfare.

Renaming alcohol to give it’s true title “Poison” may be one way to initiate awareness for those that are a little slower to join the dots. There is no safe use of alcohol no matter how marketing and profiteers want to dress it up.

Good point Johanne, how can there be “Responsible drinking of alcohol” when it is irresponsible to do so.
People think that me and my friends enjoying a drink is not harming anyone because they choose to overlook the bigger picture that Martin is presenting here.

Martin, this is such a great reminder for us all that we are being asked to be more responsible and look deeper into our choices. It is no longer acceptable for a supermarket or any other retailer to be just offering a ‘bargain’, they need to really consider what they are bargaining and promoting. It is no longer acceptable for us consumers to just walk into a shop and buy things because they are good value or whatever, we need to consider what we are investing into. And I love how you have used Twitter. I would be easily going ‘What is he complaining about, we are getting a good bargain?’ if I was still drinking, but the data you have provided really offers a stop & consider moment. Brilliant.

Great point about the de-human-isation of statistics. It feels to me that to actually take a moment and truly feel the enormity of these statistics and what they actually mean is too much responsibility and perhaps a too bigger pill for many of us to swallow. It is HUGE when you consider these statistics on a human level and they are only one of the many hundreds of shocking statistics out there today

Connect to any person’s eyes, without reserve. Feel their beauty and then consider the impact of abuse upon their body and being. That in itself is a horror. Do we need to multiply it be 2 or 3 let alone 20,000 to feel the terrible impact?
Is that why we switch off to stats? If we are unable to face the reality of one, how do we face the trauma of so many?

As part of my job, I once had to spend the day at the kiosk counter where they sell cigarets and hard alcohol such as whisky and vodka and it broke my heart because at nine o’clock in the morning elderly people were coming in, still intoxicated and smelling of alcohol from the night before, buying more. I hated handing the products over to them, seeing their eyes completely dulled and blurry, watching the complete destruction of their bodies through alcohol abuse. And I had no power to stop the sale, it was my job to hand the poison over to them and to just let them walk away. It took a long time for me to accept that this was their choice, that I had in fact no control over the systems that society has, and that each person is a living embodiment of love with their own free-will-to-choose to not be that love. However, I also know that on that day when those people came, they were met with me, and so perhaps in a small way I did make a difference.

Thank you Martin for exposing so graphically that there can never be ‘responsible service of alcohol’ because there is nothing responsible about facilitating people abusing themselves with a known poison with all its documented detrimental effects on the body and behaviour that impacts everyone else around them including the services that have to pick up the pieces when someone goes ‘too far’. Deep appreciation for highlighting our collective responsibility for colluding with all the corruption and feigned ignorance in the face of overwhelming evidence of the impact on society and how the time has come to shake off the shackles of our comfortable lives and tell the truth about alcohol and our deeply dysfunctional relationship with it.

It seems like we have started to sit up and notice the effects of alcohol and drugs when driving and how many people are killed and injured as a result of intoxicated driving. Yet we don’t want to look at how intoxication affects all of our behaviours and thus impacts others largely through abuse and violence. Maybe because we don’t want to lose the numbing and relieving effects that we experience from alcohol and the fact that many of us do not know how to connect with others without substances.

Yes Jenny. It seems that we prefer to avoid looking at why we need such relief from our lives, one that disregards the destructive impact it has on our society. This is not truly are relief as it is a form relief that in fact harms. When we choose to disconnect from or numb ourselves we disconnect from everyone else and become numb to the effect our actions have upon others.

Jenny you have started the real conversation behind alcohol, I feel at the bottom of it is, we are not willing to give up drinking because we are not willing to reveal our disconnection to ourselves and others, we have lost touch with who we are and our purpose, thus we have no meaningful connection in our lives. But through alcohol we have discovered we can still hide and be disconnected but with a drink or two we can get a sense of bonding and connection without having to reveal our true self and really connect….. Until the next morning that is and we can’t remember much anyway! So basically alcohol keeps us from the one thing we crave the most… Intimacy.

Martin,
This blog is not just something that will be read in the future but it comes from a very deep ancient place..and that’s the game changer.
Stopping Alcohol in our bodies isnt just it- its only the beginning.
What do we do and how do we do when others around us are having alcohol is the most important aspect that I feel this brings out here.
For me what absolutley stood out- “Then take a look at your purchase and think for a moment, what exactly is it that I am buying into? And then later, when you’re sitting at home, enjoying your drink, take a moment to toast all the children and women who are being abused in that moment and appreciate the fact that you’ve just contributed to it, by the nature of putting your money into buying that product in the first place.” – These words are enough to stop anyone who understand true responsibility! Universal Medicine helped me to stop in my abusive tracks for sure and since then..the world is now much more blessed to have the True ME at all times! How amazingly cool is that…

Boom Martin Gladman. A brilliant, insightful and revealing expose that calls to question the responsibility that each and every one of us have when it comes to alcohol related abuse amongst our women, children and men in our society. We all have a choice, to be part of perpetuating alcohol abuse or we can say no to this harmful substance that clearly is the cause of so much damage and devastation. We would not knowingly want to cause such harm yet we are not willing to consider the impact we all have with what we choose to be part of. We need to question why, with these staggering statistics on the rise, would we choose to continue to invest in a culture of alcohol consumption that undoubtedly harms so many in our society? Why are we avoiding looking at what is really going on in our lives? I agree Martin – ‘We have much to consider when it comes to understanding what true responsibility is.’

Yes Carola so very true what you express here and so very irresponsible we are as a race of beings..
That we knowingly will not cause harm but unknowingly as long as it’s not happening on my turf- it doesnt matter!- This way of thinking is precisely what has gotten here in the first place.
When we start to deeply realise that the flow of anything ultimately harms us all if its harmful no matter how far or how near we are to that, when we are able to look outside of our selves, our homes, our families, our societies, cities, countries, beyond borders and know that we harm if we avoid or turn the other way so long as it’s not on my doorstep, that’s when the devastation caused by alcohol will truly be felt. That’s when we can all rise up and say – “yes we tamed the Spirit who loves Spirits”!
This consumption of alcohol will then be an abnormality rather than the norm that it is today..and it’s something we have yet to feel as ONE deeply within.

Yes Carola, we certainly do. we tend to avoid responsibility like the plague, thinking it’s a heavy word that burdens our shoulders as we carry this weight around. How wrong we are… accepting the enormous responsibility we have to live a life of integrity is incredibly freeing and it removes the burdens we carry. Alcohol on the other hand loads on one toxic burden after another, spiralling us further and further away from living in a truly joyful and harmonious way.

We have somehow lost our sense of community responsibility. We think that if we are not doing the extreme behaviours related to alcohol then we are not part of the problem. However allowing such a product in our society, when we know how harmful it can be shows a lack of care for each other. Whilst we all say yes to alcohol as an accepted part of society, we say yes to everything that it brings.

When we are willing to be honest and accept the responsibility for how we choose to live our lives, we will realise that we hold the power, through the way we live, that will bring the true changes needed in the world today.

So true Carola – for everything we have created, or not taken responsibility for, we can turn that tide of change and do it differently too – there is always a choice, and this world is of our making. It is deeply empowering to know that we hold the key to turning things around.

Martin – You are definitely “The One” for speaking up publicly about this atrocity of flagrant use of subliminal advertizing. For simply ages this blatently positioned advertizing at the end of the shopping docket, so visible, before you can actually find the written total of that which one has spent at the supermarket has caused me dismay and disturbance, but, unlike your gorgeous self, did nothing about it. Thank you for this now visible awareness of statistics
and the love that you bring while not shirking from dealing directly with the supermarket giants and advertizing bodies.

God Martin. What an exposé of the levels of corruption that operate at all levels of society. From government agency to every individual, we just don’t like to put one and one together to get the obvious answer.
Dare nothing get between us and our good time, our market share and our profits.
That it is paid for in misery and suffering?
Not my problem.

This article is hard hitting and deeply uncomfortable to read. We have set up society not only to accept the poison, alcohol, as a normal thing to choose to ingest, but also actually to promote it, making those that do not drink alcohol the misfits. This is madness.

In Germany the advertisement of alcohol is still legal as well, although we measure the highest alcohol consume worldwide, 2014 it was an average of 11.8l alcohol per human 15+ years. That’s an AVERAGE of 500 bottles of beer (0.5l) per year.
According to different statistics (depending on who financed the statistics) there are 15000-80000 alcohol related deaths per year in Germany. That’s 1% of Germany’s population each year. This is just the dead. That doesn’t count all the fates that surround such cases and the decades of abuse that precede. We are far from being responsible. Just imagine of what we would be capable of without alcohol!

Well said Felix ‘just imagine what we would be capable of without alcohol!’ – if we took out this one substance from our daily lives and measured the impact on productivity at work, on our general health and wellbeing, on healthcare services usage, on medication for alcohol abuse, etc that in itself would be profound.

Felix this is a great statement “imagine what we would be capable of without alcohol” and very true. Unfortunately we are going to see a rise in dementia’s related to our use of alcohol. In fact its happening and known and yet we are owned by alcohol and it’s effects. These supermarket chains are knowingly participating in this for profit, with no consideration for the wellbeing of the community. Yes they may very well be advocating safe us of alcohol, but so do all the alcohol companies and pubs. The fact that they are supporting an industry or are in the industry means they support the whole lot and all that comes with it – whether they realise it or not. It’s going to take us a while before we reach a point where we really acknowledge the poison that alcohol is. Unfortunately the effects of our health and the wellbeing of our communities will be placed at even greater risk than we are now and we are not travelling well at all now.

Thank you, Martin. It is true what you say, that when we are dependent on something (such as alcohol) to avoid feeling our hurts the last thing we will want to do is see the truth of what it does to us and everyone around us.

Having come back to this blog again today – I observed something similar. I was at the dentist and went to the bathroom. On the back of the door was a colourful poster that said ‘at this dentist we like …’ and it said things like ‘smiles, fun, colours’ and other words like that, and in the middle in large letters it also said ‘champagne’. For a healthcare service/practice to say it liked champagne – feels similar to the dockets Martin shares in this blog. I always ask the dental hygienist what she is seeing in the mouths of those she treats nowadays (I like to get a ‘whats going on in humanity’s mouths update) – and she talks about the disregard we live in, the amount of sugar we are eating and the impact it has on gums and teeth. Surely champagne adds to these problems (it has sugar in it)? so it doesnt make sense to advocate liking it in the very place where they pick up the pieces for sugar and other food/substance usage.

That’s very interesting Jane. It’s like Champagne is seen as the harmless version of alcohol, a bit of bubbly. There for celebration and a bit of fun for the girls. But that’s all advertising and leaves out the devastating effects that it has on our bodies, including our teeth. I know someone who teeth are rotting because of their alcohol intake and when we walk about sugar, they say “but I have very little sugar, not even considering that alcohol is full of it. Oh and now they sell low sugar alcohol – same drug different package.

Janet it just doesn’t stop at the ‘ truth of what it does to us and everyone around us’ It also reveals a massive lie people are prepared to hold onto, even when they clearly know the impact on society, and themselves.

If we revealed the facts on the back of the bottle like ‘ alcohol is poisonous to the body’ I wonder if it would have a big impact, as most are so entrenched in the lie ‘ red wine in moderation is good for your heart’ or drinking is how I relax, I deserve a drink at the end of the day etc. Drinking has become more than a hydrating refreshment, it’s the key ingredient at most social occasions, and most don’t consider you could have an enjoyable time without alcohol, it’s now so entrenched it’s become part of our culture and a staple of our national identity. Alcohol is costing Australians $36 billion a year and we are prepared to ignore it because we need/love our ‘grog’ more than we love our fellow man

It is quite incredible to observe the defensiveness that will come up for many people when it comes to alcohol. It’s as if it’s one of the last bastions of the frontier where we can go and bury our sorrows as we sip through the glass and let the alcohol dull our senses… that is, dull away the pain we feel from having strayed so far away from a true way of living.

This is such a powerful article calling us all to being responsible. When adverts give the strapline of remember to drink responsibly I always wonder, is any amount of alcohol consumption responsible if it harms health and true connection with oneself or another? Responsibility seems to be on a sliding scale of what’s convenient to a person or not. Sure, there are definite no nos like no drunk driving but turning up for work a little worse for wear is ok for some.

And though I no longer drink I do know I can conveniently forget what it is to be responsible in many other ways. But like Martin asks us to consider that buying alcohol supports all the negative consequences of drinking, so too do I ask myself how my being irresponsible endorses irresponsible, reckless behaviour.

I love how this article asks us to consider the collective responsibility we have in regards to the sale and consumption of alcohol. In this call to responsibility we’re being asked to look at how we all connect with one another. Because if we take away the alcohol what remains is a sober look at the reasons for wanting to consume what is basically a poison. We are then with an opportunity to connect and support each other without the need for alcohol.

Thank you Martin for highlighting the misuse of alcohol – “By the very nature of us contributing our money to this product we are supporting it and saying ‘yes’ to it in full, to everything that that product brings and represents . . . ” I am sure that not everybody is aware of this fact! I like it very much that you pointed it out so clearly and that you showed us in your awesome blog the responsibility we all have regarding the abuse drinking alcohol.

Martin I only can agree to what you have written: “We cannot have ‘responsible service of alcohol’ until we start taking responsibility for all that actually comes with alcohol, and not many of us want to do this, we want to check out, forget about it and simply enjoy our drink.” With WE you mean doctors, surgeons, school teacher, professors, nursery school teacher, politician, police officer, justice, practitioner, massager . . .

A very intriguing blog Martin: I found this absolutely shocking – “the Office of Liquor and Gaming (OLG) underwent a six month investigation … and came to the conclusion that promoting alcohol this way was ‘likely to encourage the misuse and abuse of liquor’”. But then this is not widely reported, and things like fashion designers etc are? Absolutely crazy

Martin it is great to hear how simply you have opened the question of how the selling of alcohol can be dressed up and disguised to be marketed responsibly. We all need to be called to account for our irresponsible behaviour and the flow on harmful affects caused. Even if we justify our position by saying I don’t drink – we are still part of the compliance by saying nothing.

Martin, I love the way that you have made these statistics real by relating them to our neighbours, family and friends and the fact that it is not just those who drink the alcohol that are affected but many people around them – just imagine the statistics on that!

Good call Martin, this is something we (society) do not do enough off and that is call out the mass irresponsibility that we can found all around us. To often we are hiding in our comfort to see the real evil in promotions such as these, what you have done by exposing this behaviour should be our normal every day expression.

This is an excellent blog Martin, exposing all the damaging effects of alcohol and the truth about the addiction to it that is wide spread worldwide and the cause of our problems in society. It is so much a part of our culture that people are unwilling to accept that they are part of the problem I have heard only one man speaking on the radio stating that we should drink no alcohol, and the interviewer was incredulous, defensive, and even patronising. This is the attitude of most people, and the kind of reaction we get if we speak truth. We have to be prepared for the reaction, and hold ourselves and them in love for things to change.

I remember some time back when I invited a new friend around for tea and they came bearing a gift of white wine as a contribution to the meal. When I met them at the door and they offered me the wine, I said, you really shouldn’t have, I don’t actually drink alcohol so why don’t you take it home with you. They were a little taken aback but agreed and went and put it in their car. This kind of expectation or offering is so commonplace that no-one would even think they were imposing or putting another in an awkward position by bringing such a gift to someone.

I have been more than just one of these statistics and the effect of alcohol on my life was huge. It has now been 7 years since I last had a drink and I have turned my life around and saved a LOT of $$$. Blogs like this are a great wake up call for those who still prefer to drink and who are not willing to see the effect that is having on everyone.

This blog presents some very disturbing but not surprising facts about alcohol. I used to drink alcohol in my 20s, I can say that at the time I never used to think I was causing any harm by having a couple of drinks. But even though I was not hitting or yelling at anyone, I can now see the harm I was doing to my body first and also to the people around me who I was not actually connecting with. Alcohol stopped me from feeling and being as sensitive as I am, and I was unable to feel the effects of my behaviours on those around me.

It may seem off subject, but stick with me here. Last year Canada decided to start mining and exporting asbestos to India to support their home grown booming industry in the manufacture of asbestos roof sheets for local use. Yes you heard correctly. Despite everyone knowing the risks of asbestos to human health, it is back being manufactured. When quizzed as to why the Canadian minister replied – “if we don’t supply it, someone else will”

And there you have it. Comparison, and our propensity to measure our lives according to the dictates of others is part of what keeps corruption afloat.

Wow Adam this is shocking to read…..the devastating effects of asbestos on the body is widely documented, and the total lack of responsibility of the reply “if we don’t supply it someone else will” show how we are so off the mark when it comes to living in brotherhood. There is a reflection here, for me to ponder on.

This is shocking Adam. I’ve often heard people excuse what is essentially evil under the excuse that ‘if they didn’t do something, someone else would do it’ – with the optional extra justification of – ‘and even worse’ – so they somehow make themselves out to be the good guys -relatively speaking.

It reminds me of another allowing of abuse, when people say, ‘everybody else is doing it so why shouldn’t I?’ or ‘no-one else is doing anything about it so why should I?’ I’m reminded of both of these through out my day – do I speak up against abuse, or pick up litter if there’s no bin about?

If we measure what to do relative to others’ actions we are lost. But if we feel what to do from truth corruption will cease.

On rereading this amazing blog about responsibility it makes me realise how many things are counter intuitive – in that they dont make sense – on the one hand we know e.g. alcohol isnt good for us – actually its a toxin, and on the other we still have research that promotes that it is good for us – anything like that makes me suspicious as it cant be both – it is either not good for us or it is – contradictory evidence leaves us in the indecision of it all – unless we simply listen to our own body which knows best. I know my body never liked alcohol, I drank to be socially accepted – then 10 years ago I realised I didnt have to do that – so I stopped and my body was relieved – as I always had horrible effects from even the smallest amount of alcohol.

Thank you Adam, this is a great example of the blatant disregard for our collective wellbeing. One day we will look back with disbelief at the harmful decisions that have been made for the sake of financial gain.

This is an amazing article and so needed – we need to start asking these questions and make people both responsible and accountable for their choice to drink alcohol – it does not just effect them because they can’t control the effect it will have – when you are drunk your behaviour is not fully under your control and so many people act totally out of character doing awful things. Not only is the advising of alcohol on recipes very irresponsible, there is also the selling in bars, clubs and pubs – how many will keep serving someone well past the legal limits to make money? This is totally dangerous and irresponsible and yet it happens

Wow Martin, this is simply shocking news. How is this not making headlines around the world?
Like all the shocking facts on the devastating effects of alcohol, and other substances, as a society we concentrate on a couple of areas for a while, but overall our apathy has us in a stupor we are choosing. It’s time we evolved into the responsibility we are being called for.

Working in health and social care and seeing first hand the mess we are in as a society when it comes to our health and welfare I do not understand how we can then allow for many of the advertising campaigns that we do. It shows such irresponsibility to promote a product that does such harm, this can be said for sugar, caffeine and many other products not just alcohol.

Today it looks weird to see old ads showing doctors promoting particular cigarettes as being gentle on the throat, however, it is just as weird to allow the advertising of substances that harm our children and adults under the guise of ‘consumer choice’. It is no such thing, it is manipulation for profit, making money from the future obesity and metabolic syndrome of those the advertisers target. It is deliberately causing harm to make money by selling nutrient-poor foods and drinks that cumulatively cause enormous population damage.

Martin’s point about the warning labels is fascinating. The journey that cigarettes has been on over the last few years is interesting to compare. Initially it was a ban on advertising, then the warnings on packets, which then got even more extreme and bigger, then all branding was banned and now in the UK, they are sold in totally plain packets from behind a covered shelf in the shops. This combined with the ban on smoking in public places has not only dramatically cut the numbers but, perhaps more importantly, made it 100% crystal clear to everyone that smoking is harmful for their health. Why is it that alcohol is light years behind this?

Well said Otto, is it the powers behind the alcohol industry that are not willing to address this yet because their profits will be affected? How many innocent people need to suffer, be abused or die from alcohol related incidents before the governments take control and address the true harm that alcohol is having on the population.

Everyone, nearly every day encounter examples like the shopper-docket in their lives – those moments when we feel the harm of something but opt to stay silent, to grit our teeth. Speaking up need not be grand gestures or confronting large organisations and government, what if we started with the small things at home and in the workplace or even more personal – ourselves….. For example asking household members not to leave their shoes on the floor, work colleagues to clean up in the communal kitchen or not leaving our own dishes in the sink etc. .

Well said Martin. Have you noticed a trend of Liquor stores popping up in shopping centers next door to Coles and Woolworths? They own these businesses. So why would they stop advertising their products. Their loyalty is to money not the people .
Not to point the finger, and give my power away. As individuals each and everyone of us have the right and capacity to stand by the integrity of our actions. Discern what you are offered and is it for you? The responsibility is always in my hands. If the business of alcohol was relying on customers like me, they would have gone broke the day they open their doors.

There is the immediately and physically damaging service of alcohol and there is the immediately but not totally obviously damaging service of alcohol. The latter is commonly referred to as the responsible service of alcohol.

This is one awesome conversation to have opened up Martin. Alcohol abuse has become a “normal” way of life but a healthy society would consider it far from normal. I abhor the fact that alcohol can be sold in a supermarket, as to me it is saying to people, especially children, that it’s something we need every day, just like food, and there’s one thing for sure, there is no way that it is!

You raise some big questions here Martin, one of which is how responsible are we really when it comes to the way we live? Do we really examine the facts and the evidence of experienced life before us or do we just see what we can get away with? It is very telling that there was an investigation into promoting alcohol related products on shopping dockets which actually discovered that it was not a supportive thing for society and just because it was not made law, the supermarkets, despite the evidence before them, do not act responsibly.

Corruption is not just embezzling money, or buying off politicians. It is any time we know and feel the truth of what is really going on and we deliberately choose to ignore or reinterpret that truth to suit our own self-gain, even if that is at the expense of others.

Thank you Martin for broadening our view on this subject. It is so easy to live in our own little bubble and as long as we are ok and not on the receiving end of the more extreme forms of alcohol related abuse, we think that this is ok. But in my opinion we have a responsibility to all of our society. We may not be able to directly intervene or stop abuse or alter every individual’s personal life choices but we can create a groundswell of common decency, respect, integrity and love in our societies that makes abuse more and more unlikely.

I wonder how we would feel if the shopping dockets advertised special offers on guns or clubs or other weapons? Would we be so comfortable with that? But it is no different in my opinion as from my experience when someone drinks alcohol they lose themselves and connection with those around them. In that disconnection they become a weapon that is abusive and people get hurt by it.

We like to champion gun laws and other laws restricting the sale and use of weapons but we are not so willing to look at other possible factors in the behaviour of our societies that may contribute to violence and exploitation. Is it the weapon itself used to harm someone that is to blame or is it the substance that destabilised someone to the point where they were capable of doing harm to another?

If we remain truly connected to one another it is impossible to harm which is why I would say any substance or practice that encourages separation and disconnection from each other is a weapon that causes the damage to the fabric of our society which then produces the more extreme forms of behaviour that we then complain we do not like.

Wow, that really is amazing – how have we gotten to the point where the toll and lives lost or effected by alcohol is at an epidemic level, and yet advertising a discount on it at supermarkets is apparently acceptable? We wouldn’t advertise discounted heroine or cyanid. And the fact the government over ruled the evidence showing that it would be harmful because of the pressure from big companies just shows that still, the health and wellbeing of the people is not being put first.

I travel internationally in my work frequently and what I find disturbing is how alcohol is promoted and easily available and heavily discounted in duty-free shops. Many years ago people were interested in buying perfume or a souvenir as a memory of their trip now the focus is very much on buying as much alcohol as they are legally allowed to enter the country with, it used to be only 1 litre and years ago it has increased to 2 litres.

Our common sense tells us, but we need to take note – and action: ‘ After a little investigation it turns out that in 2014 the Office of Liquor and Gaming (OLG) underwent a six month investigation (6) into supermarketers promoting alcohol on shopper dockets and came to the conclusion that promoting alcohol this way was ‘likely to encourage the misuse and abuse of liquor’ (7).

Super awesome article Martin… and a great exposure of the irresponsibility let alone the corruption that on the surface may appear like innocent advertising, but in truth is the equivalent of a match and petrol to an already burning issue, ensuring the perpetuation of a deeply harmful substance and the consequences of it’s consumption.

Brilliant article Martin, thank you for your research and voice to a much needed ongoing conversation that until considered in its entirety by each and every one of us, and the responsibility being asked of us all, will we begin to see a change in these alarming statistics.

Martin, thank you for your very revealing, and eye opening blog. Seeing the statistics down on paper is a very sad indictment of the world and an indication of how large corporations can think they can get away with their irresponsibility by hiding behind ‘nice’ words and ‘polite’ responses, yet still continue to advertise a product that is poisoning society, and all in the name of money. Well done for calling it out and the best thing we can all done (apart from giving up alcohol) is to stop shopping at Woolworths and Coles altogether.

Ethanol is a poison as is Nicotine but both are legal products that had to pass safety standards for consumption and use, how moronic is that! Not belittling the lists of effects to society but they must affect everything indirectly! Why is there alcohol in the foods we consume? What is the deal with Christmas and the chocolates with liquor fillings? Simply enjoying our drink to excess causes us to forget what we thought we were here to enjoy!

Hello Martin,
Some may consider your approach in this article to be too harsh or dramatic but is it? As you point out statistics are easy to write off and depersonalise but the way you made those numbers personal, allowed us to feel how deeply disturbing drinking is. Everyones says they want to change the world and what you are offering is that chance for us to make a huge impact collectively, as a society if everyone says NO, if everyones says, we will not pour our money into an industry and substance that is responsible for this much harm…. then imagine the change that is possible?
The impacts of these “small” choices are enough to start a revolution!! Thanks Martin, lets say NO to this damaging excuse for a product!!

You make a good point here Martin…”We cannot have ‘responsible service of alcohol’ until we start taking responsibility for all that actually comes with alcohol…” and that buying alcohol is contributing to the whole social issue problems that alcohol creates in our community, our country and globally.

In the UK I have received vouchers for discounted alcohol on certain internet shopping sites. Thank you for bringing to my awareness the fact I can also initiate a conversation with that site about responsible advertising. I have usually discarded and recycled the vouchers. I shall certainly take action now. Thanks Martin for a great article.

The abuse can also be on much more subtle level. A classic would be parents unwinding with a drink or two not drunk but enough to take the edge off the day, then been checked out and not present to a child’s routine, don’t forget the smelly alcohol breath. Then comes the reaction to the sugar spike in their blood and a lack of energy they can’t be bothered to cook dinner or they end up passing out asleep in front of the telly and having a disturbed night’s sleep , waking grumpy and irritated and rushed in the morning ….and the cycle continues. This is not considered dysfunctional this is considered normal but it is not OK, or natural.

The problem here is endemic – we have created a society where substance abuse (alcohol, cigarettes to name 2 socially acceptable substances) is considered normal, and is not seen as abuse. We can look at an alcoholic and say “they have a problem’ but what about all the others who drink to self-medicate – to numb their day, take the edge off, to relax. We have all contributed to the fact that this is seen as ok, and in fact if you choose not to drink alcohol, this can be seen by many to be a threat to the very fabric of society (that’s my experience of some of the reactions I have had from people over the past 16 years since I stopped drinking it anyway). So as it’s seen as ‘normal’ and the large majority don’t see it as a problem, when we are then confronted by the horrifying statistics on alcohol-related crimes, we defend ourselves by divorcing our use of alcohol from the ones who are perpetrating these crimes – claiming it is different, and the minority.

Martin thank you for researching these figures for us. I must say some of the facts alarmed me !
I realize how drinking causes so much trouble and breakdown of relationships and families but so many children suffering from the abuse of alcohol via assault is shocking to me. These advertisements should be banned on the back of documents, no doubt!

The devastating impact of alcohol in the world is there for all of us to see. With this knowledge, try and make sense of our ‘intelligence’ that then promotes, almost insists that we all partake in its consumption. It still blows me away that it is the person who does not drink alcohol that finds themselves having to explain their choice…

Very sobering piece of writing Martin Gladman. The facts speak for themselves. I understand that in Australia there are very strict laws in place around dog ownership and keeping dogs on leads following one incident of aggression. How is it then, that despite the clear evidence about alcohol fuelling violence and abuse, the same level of control and legislation has not been applied? How many battered children does it take for us to take appropriate action?

I last drank alcohol ten years ago this year and I love my life without it. I do not miss it one bit. It is a curiosity to me how many people seem compelled to ask why I don’t drink as the benefits of not doing so seem so clear and obvious. In fact in a truly responsible society should it be the other way round – with the question being reversed to ask ‘why do you drink?’

This is a great example of true global responsibility. We cannot hide in the comfort of our personal life. Everything we do has an impact on the whole and with this any kind of abuse or misuse we support has an impact on a bigger scale on others. We are responsible for each other and only by living full integrity we assume this responsibility.

This blog offers us the opportunity to raise our game significantly in terms of responsible choices. When we buy alcohol, we support the whole alcohol production industry and all the affects this brings. Just as when we buy a newspaper that prints lies and half truths to satiate our desire for sensationalism – we support this expression in full too. What other irresponsible lifestyle choices do we support when we buy products or align with them in some way? Perhaps we have to review our understanding of what it means to be responsible in this life.

In my work I present a training course which includes the practice of physical intervention skills – for staff who work with service-users who have the potential to display behaviours which are challenging. Before each training session I am required to have a discussion with each participant individually about their level of fitness and then to read a safety statement to the group. What if we applied this same level of responsibility to those who sell alcohol? Before alcohol is sold to anyone, there would be a requirement to have a discussion about the ill effects of drinking and read out a responsibility statement as well? Would make going to the pub a rather different experience!

One of the things I love about this blog is that you were aware of something you didn’t like in society and that instead of turning a blind eye, you decided to stand up, say something and take action. So often when we feel this way about something, complacency kicks in and we do nothing. It is inspiring to read.

When the facts are put so clearly, combined with the fact that alcohol is a scientific poison, it is incredible that it is legal and that it can be promoted in the various ways it is, discounted and encouraged. Cigarettes are not allowed to be promoted, is alcohol not in the same basket? We all have a choice, and if people choose to drink or smoke that is fine. But I don’t think we need to be encouraged to do so.

Martin Gladman, you say it as it is – when we buy and consume alcohol, what are we actually buying into and promoting and celebrating? In my opinion, there is no denying it that buying and drinking alcohol celebrates violence to women and children, motor vehicle accidents and so much more. Perhaps we ought to think twice about this commodity that is so widely accepted and defended in our society and community!

Powerful piece of writing here Martin on the shocking truth of alcohol related abuses. As always there is free choice in purchases and I guess Coles and the supermarkets are ‘doing their job of selling products for consumer demand’ and hence therein is the issue – as you say, it’s us as the consumers that are creating and perpetuating buying/advertising promotions, because for many of us, and as someone who used to drink myself many years ago, alcohol is consumed because life itself is without joy. We use the drink to lighten up, give us more confidence, have a good time, be social, take the edge off life, to escape reality, however the after effects leave a doldrum feel, or thirst for more of the stuff… When we deal with the quality in which we personally live life (with love), then the quality of us collectively will put an end to the selling or promoting of such toxins that lead to assault on the physical body and so often abuse to others.

“Then take a look at your purchase and think for a moment, what exactly is it that I am buying into?” – very thought provoking question Martin, and can be applicable or said of everything when the deeper perspective, as you write here in the example of alcohol, is considered. By purchasing, we are agreeing to the consciousness. And aiding ways that very simply either harm or heal. The more love there is, the less likely we are to harm. The fact that we do so readily or easily harm ourselves and each other either directly or indirectly highlights both the absence and hence essential need for one thing in our lives and world – LOVE.

In Germany it is common that the alcohol-industry supports nature reservation projects and advertises this. It is obvious that this is nothing other than manipulating their customers to associate beer with nature reservation parks and not to associate beer with kids sleeping in urine soaked beds or beer with the smell of vomit. It’s part of the lie we buy with each purchased drink.

What you are pointing out Martin is so obvious about society’s irresponsibility around alcohol and yet so many choose to excuse the consumption of it. It is incredibly evident how the majority refuse to look at the truth around it, preferring instead to go in to the defence of it, but what really are we defending? When we defend the consumption of alcohol we are defending the abuse, violence, numbing and checking out. By saying alcohol in moderation doesn’t hurt we are allowing all of the issues that are caused by drinking alcohol to continue in the denial that all that other stuff has nothing to do with us.

“So next time you’re purchasing your alcohol, be it at a major supermarket or not, take a moment to look around and count the number of children you see, count the number of women and then imagine each and everyone of them being badly beaten and abused that evening, take a moment to imagine what they are seeing and feeling when they look into the dead and blank eyes of their intoxicated abuser or how the stench of the very drink you are buying can be smelt on their breath or sweating from the pores of their skin. Then take a look at your purchase and think for a moment, what exactly is it that I am buying into? And then later, when you’re sitting at home, enjoying your drink, take a moment to toast all the children and women who are being abused in that moment and appreciate the fact that you’ve just contributed to it, by the nature of putting your money into buying that product in the first place.”
Am I being lazy cutting and pasting this quote from the article? No This paragraph needs to be highlighted, read and re-read even by non drinkers who are smugly pleased with their personal choice as others sink into despair. Too few of us have taken action as you have and the call is there for us all to take more. Non- drinkers are no more off this hook than so called sensible drinkers and blatant abusers.

It is very clear Martin by your expose that we do not take this issue seriously because it is too revealing of how we create our own suffering and that we are very irresponsible in terms of giving up the rewards and check outs we have created for ourselves. Despite the terrible flow on effects to our health and wellbeing.

It is interesting that only Coles responded and that Woolworths in particular did not. It would seem that corruption and self-interest drive marketing campaigns and some corporations. It is also very revealing how regulated our Food and Drug industries are and yet we can still sell alcohol and cigarettes which as you expressed Martin are so harmful in many ways.

Alcohol is a legal drug and what you are sharing here, Martin, is how abusive alcohol is but how it is played down as a harmless drink and sometimes even a healthy drink recommended by doctors. Nobody wants to take responsibility of the harmful cosequences on the human psychy that alcohol consumption has. And earning money with alcohol is like earning money with drugs, nothing else, we just do like it would be something else.

This occurs because we absolutely say yes to it. We say yes to irresponsible ways of living, and this is one of them. I was in a university lecture a few weeks ago and the question was raised about whether the practice of 1st year psychology students being given credit for being research participants was ethical. The answer. No, but everyone does it. This is the same as what you have described here Martin. Until we say no to it we can clearly be seen as accomplices to the fact. We are in fact saying a big Yes to unethical practices that bring a darkness to the world, that treads all over integrity and true responsibility, and the results are horrifying statistics as you have shared here.

Fabulous article, thank you Martin, you have really laid it all out for everyone to clearly see and understand what is going on at every level and who is accountable. The truth is, as you have said, we all are. There is a place here though for industry to lead the way – a step they have clearly refused to take. A clear case of vested interests and profit before people.

When are we, as a society, going to take responsibility for the choices we make? The abuse outlined here is rife, and we are playing straight to it. We would rather numb out with alcohol than put a stop to the violence that results from its use.

We are hearing a lot about family or domestic violence in the press these days. But we always think of those affected as ‘someone else’s family’. If we consider we are all one family – that family as we currently conceive of it is a relatively false concept representing division into disparate groups – then we are all responsible for each other’s well-being. The person affected ‘over there’ is my brother too.

As a social worker, Martin writes with a palpable authority on abuse. The thing is, are we going to let ourselves feel and understand what he is presenting or are we going to shrug our shoulders and turn away? This is not to suggest we become people with a cause, simply people who live counter to what society presents as acceptable, and with something to say.

Those statistic that you have given us Martin about the knock on effect drinking alcohol has on children is shocking. As you say young children are incredibly sensitive, innocent, vulnerable and fragile? And we as adults should treat them as the precious gifts they are. They to me reflect back to us when they are very young just how far we have strayed from our own sensitivity and vulnerability. And it seems to me that as adults know this is all going on behind closed doors but seem unable to bring about a lasting solution instead we use band aids to cover up the devastation this is having on our society.

There is a responsibility these advertising companies need to rise to, to stop this advertising of alcohol making it appear harmless or fun, and expose it for the harm it does and the knock on effects it has in society. We need waking up.

Spot on Felix, there can be no doubt that alcohol is a poison and a dangerous intoxicating poison at that. Having poisoned and abused myself in this way for most of my life I can vouch that it is not the glamorous relaxing thing to do as it is portrayed and depicted in the media. It wreaks havoc in the body and the mind and damages all relationships. People say they do like to drink in moderation or in moderation a drink is good for you. I say it is a poison and poison can never ever be good for you nor for those around you.

A strong and very needed message Martin. Truth isn’t always easy to hear. I don’t drink for years, but even I could feel myself wanting to play what you’re writing down. Why? Because I could feel the Responsibility that you’re talking about. It is not about he alcohol persé, but first and foremost the contribution to a choice that is in fact abusive. Even if people are using 1 or 2 glasses of alcohol… Then it might not end up in the extreme and shocking stats that you’ve shared Martin, but what I’m experiencing is that with the use of alcohol a certain arrogance enters people. The way they than talk is always separative, comparison, judgemental, competing, degrading, cynical, etc. I agree that this beating a child is far worse, but isn’t that only in comparison. To me when a friend, collegae or family member isn’t him- or her natural self, is hurting as well. We’re loving beings, innately so. But in order to connect, we’ve got to start being far more honest with ourselves than the current trend is. Why accepting alcohol as ‘normal’. I can tell that I feel much, much better since I stopped drinking alcohol. And as a result I am also experiencing being with people without drinking and have developed a lot of beautiful, tender and loving relationships with people. That’s not only because I stopped drinking alcohol, but should I’ve not made that choice years ago, these relationships would never ever have been able to come alive. Simply because the relationship with my self has grown over the years. Thank you Martin!

Why I cringed inside while reading this article was because of the Grandness and importance of Responsibility. Choices and Responsibility go hand in hand. To be more specific, I cringed because I could feel my own Responsibility on a much Grander scale. What I realised from reading the article is that Responsibility is in fact every choice we’re making. Every choice contributes to something. It is up to us if it’s adding connecting / healing or separating / harming to the world. Wow, there’re a lot of choices to be examined here.

Thank you Martin for raising this issue- alcohol is a drink consumed by many for centuries. There are so many cultural ,religious and social beliefs around it being acceptable, but society is not wanting to see the truth of what it is – a poison, and the potential harm that it can cause- car accidents, deaths, child and sexual abuse, domestic violence, gambling etc.

With the current outcry from our hospitals and police force on the damaging effects of alcohol consumption in society today how can discounted alcohol work towards curbing these issues. Two for the price of one deals promotes the opposite.

This is a big subject and one that is important to bring awareness to. The statistics are alarming and the willingness of big companies to place dollars over the importance of people’s lives is frightening. The truth is that it does come back to each of us taking responsibility for the choices we make. People buy alcohol and consume it and they do not want to know about the damage it does because they may have to feel the discomfort of continuing to purchase and consume it. Alcohol is consumed for relief and the feel good result but this only lasts so long, the time has come for us all to get honest and realize that if we are purchasing, consuming or turning a blind eye to the effects of alcohol we are contributing of the damage being done.

Hi Martin,
i wanted to build on this. In the UK we have a system in place for most large supermarket chains where you get vouchers when you buy food. This is very specifically targeted advertising that looks at your shopping habits and then gives you vouchers for foods you buy or might like. So you might get some money off or extra points ect. The interesting thing is, we can get into a situation where we buy things at the supermarket such as alcohol, and it is possible to get vouchers for money off your next bottle.
It shows how we completely disregard true health, and we even advertise to people in ways that promote drinking a poison. Or the supermarket picks up we buy bread so we get money off pastries. It is all set up to keep buying things that are not truly supportive. Sure I get coupons for spinach or avocados, but the majority of people wouldn’t get this as we’ve become so used to shopping for food that does not truly nourish us.

In my experience of extreme alcohol consumption, it wasn’t until I had reached a very finite point in complete obliteration of myself that I started to turn things around and really look at what I was doing. However, from this blog I can see how as a global humanity we are perhaps all well past that point, and it is perhaps time for everyone to stand up, stop, and listen to the facts of alcohol and the far reaching affect that it really has. Maybe this is where people like myself, Martin, and anyone with experience comes in and begins the conversation about what has been sacrificed for the sake of a few pleasurable drinks.

If Alcohol could be used responsibly, say to kill germs or replace petrol that would be Ok but is any other use ever responsible no matter what amount? At my local hospital they had to replace the hand gel for washing your hands because people were stealing it to consume as it got them drunk as the alcohol content was so high. This alone suggests bad and addictive the substance is in any form.

Martin – you say it as it is – especially the paragraph where you say to have a good look around yourself in the supermarket and see all the women and children around you and imagine them going home and getting beaten up. Alcohol has a huge impact on our society. The sooner we allow ourselves to sober up to the reality that alcohol brings, the faster we will get over our hangovers and begin living with more love for each other.

The drinking culture in Australia is huge and is considered normal. Deals to buy alcohol in any sales form what so ever only encourages this further but until all of humanity are willing to see how much of a problem drinking is in our society and consider this more important than the need to make money out of people’s addictions this will continue.

Just only considering that alcohol is a poison makes it already really weird that one it is being sold, two being promoted and three that we buy it. What has happened to our daily life that we are willing to buy a poison and even enjoy it even with knowing the vast abuse and disconnection that happens due to alcohol use?

This is a reality check on what responsibility truly is – aren’t we all to blame for the disaster these statisitics are representing, simply by not looking at our own part taking in this? It is time we grow up as humanity and start to see the consequenses of our own choices and for the lack of speaking up. Thank you Martin, for doing it!

Alcohol has pervaded our society for such a long time that the abuse, violence and the deaths that result are now just considered part of life. Just watching video footage of any capital city on a Friday or Saturday night, with people unable to walk, stand or even talk paints a very loud picture of not just alcohol but the deep pain people are in to treat themselves in such a way. This is the real story, the one that questions what is actually happening for these people, that is rarely covered in news stories.

Very important blog and it just highlights the fact what we put up with in regards to what we consider normal. There is nothing normal about what you have shared and raised here Martin – it’s poison for all.

And I notice when I go out with some friends, be it for dinner or lunch or something, the moment alcohol is taken in, the energy shifts around them – and the energy does not feel the same anymore, voices change, conversation changes – what looks out of their eyes at times has changed too – that is really disturbing to watch ….

These facts need to be discussed at every community gathering and dinner table
‘Every single day 430 Australians are hospitalised due to alcohol related harm (3)
In just one year there were 29,684 incidents of alcohol-related family violence in New South Wales, Victoria, Western Australia and the Northern Territory (3)
Almost half (44%) of all intimate partner homicides in Australia are alcohol-related (4)
Almost 20,000 Australian children are victims of substantiated alcohol-related child abuse (2)
Each year more than 70,000 Australians are the victims of alcohol-related assaults and, of those, 24,000 experience the assault as domestic violence (2)
In one year almost 5 million Australians aged 14 or older (26%) had been a victim of an alcohol-related abuse (5)
Within ten years there was 62 per cent increase in the rate of alcohol-related deaths and diseases in Australia (3).’

So much advertisement it’s shady, I honestly feel that even promoting sugary substances should be illegal, considering our horrendous illness and disease rates any thing that is so obviously a poison in the body should never be allowed to be advertised.

Brilliant article Martin exposing the extent of responsibility when we purchase a product that is abusive. Where once upon a time I lived in arrogance and would have thought Martin was cranky writing this blog but I have come to realise that it’s impossible to purchase something without it affecting many others in the process. Every thing I purchase has a knock on effect and it is my responsibility to discern what I feel is true and supportive to me and therefore in doing so knowing this has an impact on another.

Martin you have nailed this issue, along with Coles and Woolworths for their irresponsibility. It is also true however that this responsibility does not just end with those willing to advertise, discount and/or sell alcohol for in truth they are meeting a demand. It isn’t until we each take responsibility for our choices in life and for dealing with life’s difficulties, that the enormous global problem with alcohol will be truly addressed. Supporting people to consume greater amounts through discounting as these big chains do is inexcusable given the billion dollar enterprises they are. When is enough, enough when it comes to profits, and at what cost do those profits come… thanks for this fascinating expose and well done for calling them out directly.

I love this article because its asking us to live so much more responsibly – instead of scratching our head at illness and disease and awful statistics we need to address the way we are living that contributes to that.

When we ignore the other side of our vices, the ones that we claim to not be responsible for because we don’t indulge in them, and we may not hit our children or our spouse, we ignore what true responsibility is. You cannot turn a blind eye to the travesty of abuse that takes place due to the ease with which alcohol is obtained without making an effort to do so. It takes a deliberate choice to ignore the pain inflicted and lives lost.

Wow those statistics are staggering, and what is even worse is that we just see them as statistics, we don’t take the time to look deeper into what they represent. It’s as though as long as it is happening to someone else it doesn’t matter. We seem to live in our own little bubbles and think that how we are living doesn’t affect anyone else. Something is very wrong here. Those figures should be bold head lines in the major newspapers but they will never make it there because no one wants to rock the boat. And those people that do rock the boat are shouted down.

It is shocking how we can turn a blind eye to so many aspects of life – refusing to see how they contribute to our issues and then throwing our hands up in disbelief and confusion as to why we have the problems in the first place. We can not continue to ignore that the way we live and the attitudes we perpetuate are causing the issues and statistics we face today as a society.

Martin this blog is a huge exposing of our irresponsibility around alcohol and the repercussions or consequences of this choice as a result. We may say, oh but I don’t do those things but we all know alcohol changes us when we have consumed it, so the question is, why do we need a substance that alters and numbs us to life? And as you say Martin, if we are buying this product we are in effect, contributing to the abuse towards others that is the end result.

Indeed Martin, why would supermarkets promote alcohol. Your blog outlines very compelling and common sense arguments for why they should not.
The material you have presented is a sad indictment on our society.

You are really calling us into responsibility here Martin, it is a great example how by staying in a comfort that we have fostered we support something we do not really want to support but do not want to give up either so we rather close our eyes and ignore the correlation.

You are really bringing in the bigger picture Martin, so far someone stopping to drink was done for personal issues or health reasons, but to stop drinking to not support a substance that destroys millions of lives brings it to a whole other level.

What a powerful article Martin Gladman. The world is upside down and the underbelly of marketing is revealed. With 77% of all consumers reading the back of shop-a-dockets, what a powerful medium this could be to promote true health and wellbeing to a sizeable chunk of the population. To put profit earnings ahead of people, the outcome is surely not pretty.

I’d never really thought about the term ‘responsible service of alcohol’ before. It really exposes how words and language is manipulated to bury the truth. How could the serving of poison ever be responsible? I wonder if a marketing company came up with this one?

The misuse and abuse of power that corporate companies can wield is pretty darn scary. But all the more confronting is the empowerment we bequeath to them through our irresponsible choices as customers and consumers.

As uncomfortable as it is to feel the truth of where we are as a society we have to take our equal responsibility in looking at how we have indirectly or directly contributed to it. There is no ‘one’ to blame as such and it is great to expose how we lie to ourselves and justify our choices.

That is one powerful article Martin. There indeed is no such thing as an innocent drink. You clearly outline that by buying alcohol, you just don’t take that glass or that bottle, but that you actually contribute to the whole that alcohol is bringing us. All of it. That is the honesty we should be living, and from that comes the responsibility.

I read an article yesterday that included the term ‘our favoured poison’ in relation to alcohol and the phrase lingered with me. To look forward to drinking alcohol when one turns a certain age and spend the rest of one’s life drinking the ‘favoured poison’ is truly telling of the lifelessness and burdens that we feel well before we reach the official drinking age. Poison is used to eradicate something that is not serving to benefit the environment.

There are some shocking statistics presented here and ones that are too easy for many to ignore. Saying ‘yes’ to even a ‘reasonable’ amount of alcohol is I agree indeed saying ‘yes’ to all that alcohol brings which leads to us “saying yes to some very dark and disturbing things.” Time will show the poison that alcohol is even in small quantities. Thank you Martin for speaking up about this.

This is a really great blog Martin, that is very much needed. We have to look at the links and consequences of our behaviours and not just assume we can live life just for us and to have our needs met. We have to look at the bigger picture of the abuse we are allowing and encouraging in the world. We can no longer think we are living in a bubble.

So many great points in this blog. Alcohol is defended as a social drink, harmless ‘in moderation’, helps relax people, etc, etc. I once drank and could defend my use of it. But we don’t want to see the full picture where when it isn’t used in moderation, but in excess, that it causes no end of harm to the drinker and in many instances to family through domestic violence. What we have to realise is that we don’t just buy into the ‘fun’ side of alcohol, but we buy into the whole package, so when buying and drinking alcohol, we are actually supporting the 1,000s of people harmed by someone under the influence of alcohol.

20,000 children experiencing abuse as a result of someone close to them using alcohol. And this isn’t a national disaster or needing urgent enquiry? If 20,000 were affected by a disease each year, there would be charities, research and all sorts going on to look for a cure…because that what our current models do, they look for a fix. But the answer is always staring us in the face as to the cause if we’re willing to see it.

Alcohol is such a widely accepted and familiar drug that we seem to have normalised its use and are prone to turning a blind eye to the great harm it helps to cause. When we really stop and consider the stats that you’ve presented Martin it doesn’t seem so normal or palatable at all.

The real truth about alcohol is very shocking indeed and this is a great disclosing of what is really going on that is hidden and excused in our culture to keep the truth from being known.
“We cannot have ‘responsible service of alcohol’ until we start taking responsibility for all that actually comes with alcohol, and not many of us want to do this, we want to check out, forget about it and simply enjoy our drink. We have much to consider when it comes to understanding what true responsibility is.” So true and this so needs to change as the abuse from alcohol is totally unacceptable with the amount of love and who we truly are.

Very strong writing on the harm of alcohol, I feel we have a “bury our head in the sand” attitude as a society to alcohol. We could have on the radio one report outlining domestic abuse and then the next minute we could have a reporter joking about having a cheeky wee glass of wine. We feel if we are ok then its not happening, yet just because many can drink alcohol without physically abusing another it does not take away from the reality of what comes with alcohol service, and this is not even to look at the effect of just one drink on our health. Something that is evidence based since the 70s but conveniently ignored. Alcohol harms, it changes our reality and it is addictive to many, surely reason enough to change the relationship we have with this substance.

When simplified to the understanding that we are encouraging others to be involved in harmful activity, even when they had not initially chosen to look in that direction is highly irresponsible – the fact that the majority are accepting this practice without saying anything about it reflects just how far we as a society have come from our true loving nature.